To Catch a Copper

This three-part, rather cheaply-titled Channel 4 series was the culmination of a unique collaboration between the Somerset and Avon police internal investigations unit and a fly-on-the-wall television documentary team. Giving themselves over almost completely to the cameras, including their own body-cam footage, the force is exposed to trial by its own television with a number of cases selected from a great many more, for inclusion in the series.

The three programmes highlighted a number of cases taken at least some way up the line by their own investigators and as such seemed to be themed, the first concerning cases of sexual abuse on members of the public by serving officers, the second on demonstrations of alleged racial discrimination against minority groups and the third on what you might call blue-on-blue incidents where police officers perpetrated sexually motivated crimes against much younger female colleagues at police training college, including sexting and inappropriate sexual advances.

I'm going to come out and say that I wasn't convinced of culpability by all the cases shown here, especially those in the second show, but certainly most all of them did get results of some type usually involving the enforced resignation of the offenders although rarely resulting in any wider criminal convictions. In the first two episodes, the Investigation of Police Criminality Unit (IOPC) despite their diligent and sympathetic efforts to convict the accused usually failed to prove their case either to a court or to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Certainly the current female DCI seems determined to root out all the bad apples in her constabulary but it's clear she'll have the devil's own job doing not only that but of also conveying her internal spring-clean mission to certain strands of the wider community, some of whom seen to have their own anti-police agenda, admittedly born of years of perceived discriminatory attitudes against their own interest-group.

However, with the recent convictions of the likes of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick still very fresh in the memory as well as the damning statistics posted at the end of the final episode about how many complaints are made against police officers and the shockingly low conviction rate, there is clearly a huge amount of work to be done before anything like full confidence is restored in our police forces the length and breadth of the country.

I've seen two episodes, both contain shocking policing. Bullying, excessive force and threats, blatant racism, even the rape of a drunk woman, all protected by the Police Federation as a cherry on top. The only other 'democratic' countries I can imagine getting away with this nonsense are France and of course the US.

If the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) don't exonerate the cops, which they seem to do 99% of the time, then there are other loop holes to use. Retirement and resignation seem to work just fine, it's not like they risk facing criminal charges, so why worry? The IOPC is made up of mostly ex cops. Biased much?

You can see the frustration of the special team in Avon & Somerset that investigate these 'crimes'. They leave you in no doubt that they've caught a 'wrong un' after reviewing the evidence, which we get to see. Yet they are constantly undermined and thwarted.

One copper even used the excuse of having PTSD for committing rape against a vulnerable women while on duty. He was allowed to retire using his medical condition. Full pension included. He was charged, pleaded not guilty and his defence was that he was the victim of rape by her. Not guilty said twelve of his peers. No wonder rape cases only have a 2% conviction rate.

The guy wasn't even charged with rape but a much lesser crime of Gross Misconduct In A Public Office. You couldn't make it up.

The Chief Constable constantly states that she's not happy with the situation. This is a police service branded institutionally racist second only to The Metropolitan Police. Words are cheap, so cheap they're free by the bucket full. So far she hasn't over turned a single decision yet she has that power.

Fascinating yet demoralising viewing.

More race baiting, BLM sympathising nonsense put out by the legacy media. First episode was decent but the second episode was an hour long pity party for the black community in the UK. Producers were asking leading questions to the police officers throughout and the entire episode was so heavily bias against the police they weren't even attempting to hide their agenda. No wonder racial tension, division and police hatred is at an all time high in this country when Channel 4 are putting out utter drivel like this. Hilariously bad viewing and I won't be watching the third or any subsequent episodes.