It Would Never Have Happened To Smeaton...

So, after I posted a blog entry entitled "The Blame Game" exactly what do we blame for the causation of the Summer riots of 2011?


The 'original cause', the death of Mark Duggan has been  significantly over shadowed by the riots which took an even uglier turn with the death of six people across the country and the destruction of peoples homes and businesses.


Tariq Jahan eloquently, wisely and whilst still grieving for the death of his Son called on everyone for peace.  The Duggan family also told the nation that they condemned the riots and did not want them carried out in his name.


So, what caused them?


These riots were going to take place no matter what.  An antiques dealer in Tottenham started to receive telephone calls about a week before they took place, asking if he wanted "protection should anything happen"  This would suggest to me that this was going to happen even if Mark Duggan wasn't fatally shot that August day.  This death was merely a catalyst for events that were going to happen, like it or not.


So where do we start this "Post Mortem" of the events that took place.  What caused this Cancer that spread very quickly across this great city and then the country that I love?


It is very easy and quick to blame the police.  The police would have received the blame whether Duggan lived or died, the fact that there was an illegal firearm, fully loaded in the vehicle he was in, keeps escaping people.


Here in lies the problem.  


The 24 hour news companies were quick to film people on the street hearing that the "police don't respect us" or "the police here don't do nothing to help us" and "the police are always harassing us"


Well, in my opinion, respect is earned.  I hear this a lot in my job "Don't DISS ME" "You need to show me respect"


Funny how quick those who have none for other people are quick to expect it shown to themselves.


"You're only stopping me because I'm black" 


No, it's because I saw you slip a knife under your jog top, or you blew through that red light with no care for anyone else and you have no insurance, MOT etc but, no, lets blame it on the fact you're black being the reason I stopped you and not because you committed a crime.


"If you touch me, I'm going to sue you"


Thank you America! This is another thing I hear regularly.  Including my Mother In Law who is an English teacher.  Some of the story's she tells me, I would quite happily take a machine gun to her pupils. [edit due to complaints on Twitter: This does not mean I will do this literally!  For God's sake get real people! If I meant every time I said to my brother I was going to kill him, I would still be slopping out at Parkhurst!]


My own 11 year old Godson said something similar to his mother the other day when she said to him "You're not too old to get a slap"


The fact he meant what he said shows how damaging our culture has become over the years with discipline.


Our 3 year old daughter was kicking off the other day and my wife said to her "I will count to five and if you don't stop I will slap the back of your legs"


The look of disgust she got from a woman who overheard, speaks volumes, in my opinion of the interference from outside agencies in just simple discipline.


I'm in no way condoning violence towards children but I believe, children need to be taught from an early age that every thing in life has a consequence.  


It is my belief that there are too many groups these days who leap out and attack the ways of parenting and even criminalising parents who have smacked their children when the real abusers slip through the net.


Then we have the schools.  In my day I would get the cane.  I got it twice and never again after that I can tell you.  The mere fact that it was on the wall on a plinth above the Head meant it was destined for your hand after the talk was over.  I respected my teachers and in actual fact, I still speak to one on Facebook who sent me for the cane.


Now we have pupils fighting against teachers, parents who, instead of trying to find out why their little darling set fire to the chemistry lab, want to blame it on the teacher for daring to give their son or daughter a detention for throwing things at another pupil.  In some cases, teachers have actually been attacked by parents for showing discipline to their children.


My Mother In Law will not walk down the road of her village or to our house in case one of her pupils sees her.  She's had her house egged and her windows smashed by her own pupils many times.


However, if my Father in law got hold of one of them, he would be the one arrested.


How wrong, is that?


We have football players who think it's ok to have multiple affairs, to commit numerous criminal  offences and be seen to be rewarded with multi million pound contracts.


These people are supposed to be role models.  


Gangsta Rap which tells their listeners to kill one another for daring to live in another post code or come from another class.  


Single parent mothers who claim they cannot control their child as they have to work every day and that the council took away the local youth club.


"They're bored"  


Well, I grew up in East London, right where they are building the Olympics.  We had miners strikes, Cold War, recessions, 3 day working week.  We didn't have iPods, Nintendo's, X-Box, PS3's etc.  The latest thing I wanted was a set of clackers which you could bounce faster and faster then lose your knuckles in a blinding flash! 


We went out in groups on bikes.  Budgies, Boxers, Strikers, Choppers and Grifters being the fad in those days and we played cricket with a bat made out of floor board and a tennis ball.


We would disappear for hours with our parents safe in the knowledge that we would come back in one piece and with what we went out with.


These days the youth are taught that if you want something, take it.  Kids are bombarded with images of the latest tech and if you don't have it, you're a target in the playground and even the classroom.


We are a society that is quick to take, quick to throw away and quick to blame someone else for your own wrong doings.


I learnt very quickly when I was young that everything has a consequence. 


I got into trouble when I was about 11 and my Dad informed me that I would come home from school, do my homework and I would not watch TV for a week.  For me, this was a disaster, early evening TV was a must. I knew that if I timed it right, I could watch the tele and turn it off just before my Dad got home from work.


My Dad got home, walked to the TV, put his hand on the back, felt the warm glow and then I felt the warm glow of that hand as it connected with my backside.


I didn't do that again, I can assure you.


I was grounded.  My Dad then saw me frantically riding home on my bike with my mates as he crossed the park walking back from the local Underground station.


I learned then too.


I was always told that if I ever brought the police home or got into trouble at school I would suffer the consequences.


Imagine my horror when the local bobby, a big bearded fellow, followed my friends and I to the garages behind my mates house as we collected his bike!


"What's going on 'ere then?  Breaking into garages I see!"


Cue frantic explanations that we were just innocent lads getting my mates bike from his Dads garage.


"Let's just check this lock here then" 


Praying that Tony had actually locked the garage and what on earth my Dad would say if he heard I was taken down the local nick even though I was innocent.


I feared the police, but respected and even admired them all the same.  I called him "Sir" and I meant that too.  These days I get no respect.


Nowadays it's "See that man, he's the one who will take you away when you're naughty"


Or in one case: "See that son, it's a pig"


The police were a "force" not a "service".  If you got on the wrong end of the police you would expect a clip round the ear and taking home to your parents where you would receive a belting for not only breaking the law but bringing the "Old Bill" round the house!


These days, if a police officer lays a finger on someone it's on the news in seconds, filmed on mobiles and shown on You Tube.


Police officers fear striking back for losing their jobs, their homes, or worse, be imprisoned. 


So what is to blame for these riots?


Well in my opinion I would say it's a combination of ill discipline starting with parents, schools which results on a lack of respect for those around.


The "I want it now" and "I'll just take it" culture caused by the mass media marketing strategy from everything from a pair of new trainers to the latest car.  The "upgrades" which means people have to have the latest and you can include football kit.


We didn't have a lot when I was a kid.  Mum only started to work again when we went to school full time so Dad had to pull in a lot of hours.  We got by, but we were well taught that if we wanted something, we had to earn it.


We had to make do and live with it.


What's the solution?


If I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be in this job, I would be earning a fortune on the lecture circuit.  


But it's my belief that if we allowed teachers to regain the classroom without fear of reprisals, parents to take some responsibility in their offspring instead of expecting others to do their work for them, the police to become a "Police Force" again instead of a "service" doing Social Services job for them and take away the mindless amounts of red tape and the ready critical media we have.  Stop this blame culture, the ambulance chasing solicitors who immediately say 


"Where there's blame, there's a claim"


If we get this little bit sorted, perhaps, just perhaps, the world may be a better place.

Ain't Misbehavin'

One thing that really gets me annoyed these days is the way kids are molly coddled and protected when they do wrong.

Take the other day. I had cause to speak to a 14 year old boy who was my height and build (I'm five feet eleven when the wind blows South and consider myself as medium to stocky build)

Here was mouthy, "larging" it up in front of his mates thinking he was clever mouthing off to two coppers who have had a hard time policing quite an intense football match.

He didn't know when to shut up.  It was trap trap trap, swear swear swear the whole time.  He was told several times to walk away and stop being a twat but no, he continued whilst he mates watched.

After several warnings of his impending doom, he still wouldn't leave or shut up, so enough was enough.  I nicked him for section five public order abusive words and behaviour.  That's when the fun started.  After seeing that now he wasn't going to get home as previously planned he decided to kick off and put up a considerable struggle which resulted in him being taking to the floor (Home Office approved technique of course) and cuffed to the rear.

The ride in the van gave him perspex bravery he continued his tirade of abuse until we arrived at the nick where a welcoming committee soon shut him up the second the van doors were open.

Now remember, I said this lad was 14.  This was the sort of behaviour I expected from someone who had been drinking or is an habitual offender.

His parents were too far away to be brought down to act as appropriate adults as they were over 200 miles North of our location and no trains were running South, also, they claimed they didn't have a car (or so they said)

An appropriate adult and Social Services eventually turned up and it transpired in interview and through discussions with his parents over the phone that the lad has ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Why should I not be surprised?!

I'm sorry but it seems to me that every kid I deal with these days has some sort of attention seeking disorder!

Now, I don't know if these disorders are being found more these days because of advances in science and understanding psychology or is it just some excuse that every parent, teacher and Social Services of these kids seem to use to take away the blame for the kids behaviour from themselves and the child.

Instead of tackling the route problem of why this kid is behaving like a prize prick, lets wrap him up in cotton wool and say it's not your fault, you have a disorder and it's someone else's fault, not yours why you're like this.

We will blame society ills for why you've developed this so that way, you won't feel targeted for your wrong doings.

When I was a kid, children like these were given a clip round the ear and told to pack it in and go to bed without their dinner.

You can't do that now as the pink and fluffy left wing group will insist that you assaulted a child and neglected it food.

"He's bored!" is the excuse I usually hear.

"He's completed "Call of Duty Modern Warfare" so he's got nothing else to do so he burned down the garage to see if car petrol tanks really do explode like in the computer game"

"He's just misunderstood!"

The problem lies in the fact that kids do not socialise properly these days, Facebook, Twitter, PSN, X-Box Live, text messaging seem to be the way these kids communicate.  They don't talk any more.  Humans are meant to talk face to face and get out and about.

The kid next door to me, it is claimed by his parents has ADHD.  Now to me, he's a loud foul mouthed little git and he's 9 years old.

I've never seen behaviour like it and hear language so foul from a kid so young.

To hear his parents discipline him is a joke.  When he swears, they just call out his name and say "Stop swearing"  That is all.  So, as no real punishment has been given, he continues.  If he's loud, they ask him to be quiet, again, no real threat, he continues.

What is he learning?  Nothing apart from he has no boundaries and can get away with what he wants.  So does he really have ADHD? Or is he just not being disciplined properly?

Now when he started swearing at my 3 year old daughter and her friends which I overheard, he soon stopped when I told him in Gene Hunt style, that I would step on and smash up all his toys if I ever heard him call my daughter a "fucking cunt" again.

Guess what? He stopped!  I told his parents for which I received a grateful apology but shook my head when they said in a soft tone to their son "Oh, I do wish you would stop swearing"

Kids crave and need boundaries, even from an early age they test, test, test and will push you to see how far they can go.  You only have to watch my three year old and eight month old daughters to see that.

When they realise they cannot get what they want, they will back down after trying several times to get it.  That's where persistence and patience pays off.

Discipline begins at home and then at school but thanks to pressure groups certain powers to discipline have been outlawed or frowned upon.  Now, I'm not saying you should beat kids black and blue, never in a million years would I ever condone that.  But if you're one of these parents who use the "I'm going to count to five" method. Please have something to punish them at the end of it!

By the way, the lad was given a final warning.  I expect a colleague from a constabulary some where up North to be meeting him real soon.

Now, I'm probably going to get slaughtered for saying some of these things but these are my opinions  only.  If you don't like them, there's the red "X" in the top right corner or feel free to comment as I'm totally open to constructive criticism.

They Always Come Out At Night.....(or sometimes the day too)

The Night Turn always guarantees to bring out the oddest people and therefore some of the oddest calls that generally, as a rule, you don't get during the day.

There is apparently, some medical evidence (somewhere, don't ask me to look for it) that states that the effect of gravity from a full moon on the chemicals in the human brain can have some bizarre effects and it is where the term "Lunatic" comes from.

Also the cover of darkness with enough light from the full moon can allow people to move about almost undetected.

So no surprise to be asked to assist a call in the small hours to a lady who stated that she had been burgled.

Nothing unusual there, except for the fact that she said over the phone that she was out in the garden squatting on her lawn going to the toilet when her neighbours broke in and took her stuff in the ten minutes she was sat out there.

She said she "knows its wrong to do toilet out on the lawn but next door are just evil, just evil!"

Thankfully, within ten minutes she called back to say that she had found all her stuff and all was well and we don't have to worry about coming round.

Queue sighs of relief over the radio!

We all do some odd things in time and the light, be it from a blazing sunny day or a moon lit night can play havoc on your perceptions.

One Sunday a few years back, we were called to an Immediate grade to a street in Brixton, South London, for a robbery in progress. We arrived about 10 minutes later and witnesses had informed us that the robber and his victim had both left the scene. So after taking descriptions we carried out an area search of which there was no trace.

To double check everywhere we went up on the Brixton train station which we knew had no service due to engineering works.

It was a very sunny day and as we were up on the platform I could see a man at the far end leaning against the wall with his bag by his side. Thinking to myself that this man could be either the victim, robber or witness it was a good idea to check him out, either way, I was going to inform him that there was no service on this day and he needs to find another route.

As I approached, I called out a “Hello” to which I received no response, I thought maybe he didn’t hear me so I repeated my call, still I got no response. The man was just leaning with one foot up against the wall and staring into no where. I thought either he’s genuinely deaf, or just plain ignorant so I waved my arms above my head and shouted “YO! You on the platform!” Still I got no response. “OI!” I shouted “OI MATE!” still nothing!

It was only as I got about 10 feet away from him I realised that this man would never answer me

…he was a statue and not just any statue,

......he was the famous Brixton statue of the “Perpetually Waiting Man”

A chorus of laughter from my bewildered colleagues as I turned back meant that, damn they had seen it all! I was getting comments like,

Well, I instantly blamed the bright Sun in my eyes!

“Was you going to arrest him under section 25, failure to provide details”?

 And “Who’s that over there? ….Statue?

Grand Theft Auto

I've just been watching World's Most Shocking Police Videos on Bravo. Mostly American pursuits usually ending up in a large pile of scrap metal and a felon slammed over the bonnet of a police cruiser.

What I find impressive with these American pursuits is the way the American cops prosecute offenders who drive recklessly or steal a vehicle.

Take for example a pursuit involving an 18 wheeler articulated lorry. The driver of this lorry had not one thought for the persons around him as he crashed through streets and smashed through police vehicles in an attempt to escape custody.

He piled onto a highway slamming into vehicles but was eventually stopped by a traffic jam ahead. What did this driver do? He revved up his engine and pushed his way through all the traffic to break through the other side to make his escape. There were cars pushed onto their sides, other vehicles roofs and driven over. The officers, justifiably started opening fire on the truck, blowing the tyres, shooting the engine till eventually it stopped. They wrestled the driver out of his cab and he was promptly arrested.

He was charged with assault on a public servant and got a prison sentence of

.....wait for it

TEN YEARS!

Now, imagine that took place in this country. The offender would have probably got a 2 year driving ban and 100 hours community service!

Our cousins across the pond deal with the punishment for these types of crime in a far more satisfying way than the way we do here!

Why don't we have the equivalent of grand theft auto in this country?

In my opinion, TWOC'ing isn't taken seriously enough by the CPS and the courts. The punishment for taking a conveyance without owners consent is so lame compared to the American version.

If you stole my car in America and drove it across state lines, not only would you get charged with GTA, you would also get charged with transportation of stolen goods! You would be held in police custody until someone paid a 4 figure dollar sum for bail and then face anything up to 10-15 years in a penitentiary.

If you stole my car in this country (assuming you were caught) you would be carefully placed into cuffs, booked into custody, interviewed, released on bail and probably never seen again!

If you did turn up for bail, the CPS would have probably lost interest in the case (assuming you managed to get an appointment!) and tried to find the easiest, the most crappiest charge for them to run with and they would have most likely dropped all the other charges because it was just too difficult for them to proceed with!

How the other half live eh?

Another Youth Murdered!

Police are searching for a group of youths seen running away from the scene where a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death.

Officers were called by ambulance staff to Chesterford Road, in Newham, east London, at 2339 BST on Thursday.

The victim has been named as Mohammed Ahmed from east London.

A post-mortem examination confirmed he died of a stab wound. Two 16-year-old youths arrested over the death have been released without charge.

This death brings the total of teenage murders in London this year to the grim total of 19!

The sad thing for me on a personal level, is that I was in that very road at that very spot an hour or so before hand dropping off a court summons to someone not connected with the stabbings.

The only two words in my mind at the moment regarding this incident are:

"If only....."

What on earth is happening with this country and all these teenage murders? Although this one is not believed to be gang related, the number of gang related incidents is constantly on the rise.

Kids in deprived areas need to be encouraged to steer clear of gangs and the carrying of weapons but the problem is, how?

Schools have lost the discipline they used to have, the yoghurt knitters have made it plain and simple that if a teacher so much as raises a voice against a trouble making child they either face the sack or they get sued by their parents who some seem to think that the school is responsible for the up-bringing of their child.

The police have lost the respect of the younger generation. I am more likely to get a two fingered salute by a ten year old when I drive onto an estate in my area car than them coming over to see what's in it.

I used to be terrified of my local home beat bobby! He was a giant of a man and seemed to have a sixth sense for smelling trouble. His mere presence was enough to stop a crime from occurring.

So maybe that's where the problem lies. We don't see police officers on the streets like we used to do any more. Thanks to the wonderful idea of expanding areas so big it takes most the shift to get round them and the closure of village police stations, constables are not able to get "out there" and mix in. Thank God the force mergers never took place!

Areas of towns shouldn't be no go areas after dark. One particular town I know has a problem with large numbers of kids gathering outside an off licence after dark. They would be loud and smash windows, fight and damage cars because there was no police presence.

Because of the lack of officers due to holidays, sickness, paper work, red tape, court and the spreading thin of officers across the constabulary, the area becomes over run with the youth culture that appears to be spiralling out of control.

Kids are "tooling up" with everything from screwdrivers to butchers knives to protect themselves from being robbed by other youths. They are forming gangs to "feel safe" and to protect their image from where they come from. I have seen a sudden increase in postcode gangs named after the postcode they come from. Woe be tied anyone from a rival gang found in their area!

The youth are not fearful of the law anymore. Very little happens to them if they are arrested in possession of a blade or other weapon. The yoghurt knitters need to stop interfering with the course of the law. Stop trying to protect the offender and make excuses for them! Start making the offender realise their own mistakes and if that means putting them in a 8x8 cell for a year or so then so be it, giving them iPods, CD tokens and holidays or trips away are not encouraging ways to stop them offending and stop using the Human Rights Act as a way to protect the criminals!

Invest in the schools more, especially for the deprived areas. Give the teachers back their discipline powers and perhaps we should start seeing some respect in the youth.

However, the problem could lie somewhere more simple than all of the above:

Respect starts at home!

If a child does not learn that it is wrong to hurt, steal or disrespect others whilst they are still impressionable from their *parent, parents, guardian, older siblings (and rather than them dumping them onto the streets for someone else to look after) we will end up with a never ending cycle.

It reminds me of the lyrics of the Elvis Presley song, "In the ghetto"

*Delete where applicable