This is a blog about the experiences of a police officer in London. Sometimes it will inevitably dip into political issues but I will avoid doing so where possible.
Now in true Met Police fashion I shall contradict all of the above.
It's difficult to talk about anything without referencing Donald Trump at the moment. I'm not going to talk about his immigration policies or anything else which is grabbing headlines at the moment. I want to discuss his attitude towards the men and women of the American police services.
Trump and Mike Pence have both been very vocal in their support of police officers in America. They have shown both gratitude and respect for the work done by police services and spoken about maintaining police officer conditions and numbers.
In contrast, whilst Home Secretary, Theresa May led an unprecedented attack on police services, and police officers alike. She became a Wicked Witch type figure amongst police officers. She oversaw pension cuts, pay freezes, benefits being slashed, and officer numbers dwindling to a point of workloads putting unbearable strain on those remaining.
One can criticise Trump for a multitude of reasons. It isn't difficult to do. But one thing he has brought that I find refreshing is his attitude towards police. He understands that the thin blue line is what stands between his success and total chaos. May, on the other hand, appears to treat the police like the enemy. Rarely, if ever, does she come out and voice support for the work being done. Only in UK government can an incident like 'Plebgate' occur. An undercurrent of disdain and distrust appears to run between officers and politicians, in both directions admittedly.
There are always lessons to be learned, in every situation.
I'm not coming out in favour of Trump and Pence, but it's easy to dismiss him completely when in fact our own leaders could learn a little something about protecting the people that protect them every single day. So take note, Mrs May, Trump's policies may be causing you no end of grief, but you have something to learn from him nonetheless.
As for the police in America, I'm sure they are happy to have a President who supports them so wholeheartedly. I would imagine that many of the men and women of the United States' police are driving around with 'Make America Great Again' bumper stickers on the back of their vehicles.
Anonymous Bobby
So many true words said. TM has all but disintegrated our Police Force
ReplyDeleteAnd she is going to keep doing it, blame the police until the remaining officers can no longer cope and our forces collapse, then blame the ensuing anarchy on those who gave far more than should ever be asked to give and left because they had no more to give :(
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