Trust and Compensate
"The new answer to Police Complaints?"
This appears to be the latest way in which West Midlands Police appear to tackling the alleged misconduct of their Officer's. It is clear that Emmanuel Prophet had a strong case of being racially profiled and to this end it is notable that neither the chief Constable or even The Police and Crime Commissioner, who is there to hold the Police to account on behalf of the public are remaining silent on this serious issue.
It is without doubt that this buzz word disproportionality has been of concerned to members of the African & Caribbean Community when they have contact with the Police to the degree where now clearly an issue has been highlighted and instead of dealing with the Officer's concerned West Midlands Police who complain of funding cuts are paying compensation, which without a shadow of a doubt Mr Prophet is entitled too, however, where is their learning as the Officer's that were accused of this has no action taken against them.
Does this signify the commencement of a new culture, instead of "Trust and Confidence", we now have "Trust and Compensate".
Surely this is no way to build bridges when it comes to Community relations, in order to heal old wounds in terms of the relationship between the Police and the Black Community. We are reminded of the serious incidences and outcomes which many members of the Black community have suffered following Police contact, particularly as I attended Dalian Atkinson's funeral last week.
We also persistently hear the buzzword "Lessons Learnt", well I do not see any in this case. The Black Community continues to have issues when having contact with the Police with even recent referral which I have received. Talking disproportionality there are issues still with Stop n Search, Section 136, Taser, Cs Spray and Use of Force in addition to arrest and release with no Delete repeated word
Clearly, the Police are there to do a job at times in difficult circumstances, however, the stereotypical notion that all black people look the same and are all tarnished in some way must no longer be accepted by anyone.
We are further reminded of an article that |I wrote following the Brexit result " Are we returning to the days of No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs" and with recent event in the USA, it is concerning that race and community relations are on the verge of being globally strained, however, in terms of Policing, yet again not a good advert for Black recruitment in the West Midlands.
THE ARTICLE THAT THESE COMMENTS ARE BASED ON THE BBC MIDLANDS TODAY/BIRMINGHAM ARTICLE BEOW:
Desmond Jaddoo
27th November 2016
A man who claims he was arrested after the 2011 Birmingham riots because he was black has won a payout from police.
Emmanuel Prophet said he was at home watching television when the riots took place in August 2011. Police broke into his home days later.
He has now been given an out-of-court payment by police after claiming wrongful arrest and assault.
West Midlands Police said there was no admission of liability on its part and no officers had been disciplined.
More on this and other stories from Birmingham and the Black Country
Mr Prophet, 29, said he was in bed when police used a chainsaw to force entry into his home on 16 August.
He said he was hit in the head by officers after being told to get on the floor and had "no idea" how he was linked to the riots.
"Every day you're hearing about the black man being singled out from the community," he said.
"I believe they treated me as if they knew it was me and I hadn't done anything wrong."
Image caption Emmanuel Prophet's solicitor, Errol Robinson, said people should not still be arrested for fitting a racial profile Mr Prophet says he still gets "sudden flashbacks" to the arrest.
Following the out-of-court payment of £1,500, he plans to pursue a civil case against the force.
Errol Robinson, Mr Prophet's solicitor, said there was "absolutely no basis" for the arrest.
"The black community are not prepared to accept arrests simply because of ethnicity and appearance," he said.
"If they want to gain the trust and confidence of the community, they've got to act in a different way and certainly in a way that is lawful."
Mr Robinson said he understood Mr Prophet was arrested by police investigating attacks on the The Bartons Arms pub in Aston in August 2011 when it was firebombed and shots were fired at a police helicopter.
In a statement, West Midlands Police said: "Settlement has been agreed with Mr Prophet....without any admission of liability by West Midlands Police.
"Following an investigation by the Force's Professional Standards Department, no disciplinary action was taken against any officers involved."
"The new answer to Police Complaints?"
This appears to be the latest way in which West Midlands Police appear to tackling the alleged misconduct of their Officer's. It is clear that Emmanuel Prophet had a strong case of being racially profiled and to this end it is notable that neither the chief Constable or even The Police and Crime Commissioner, who is there to hold the Police to account on behalf of the public are remaining silent on this serious issue.
It is without doubt that this buzz word disproportionality has been of concerned to members of the African & Caribbean Community when they have contact with the Police to the degree where now clearly an issue has been highlighted and instead of dealing with the Officer's concerned West Midlands Police who complain of funding cuts are paying compensation, which without a shadow of a doubt Mr Prophet is entitled too, however, where is their learning as the Officer's that were accused of this has no action taken against them.
Does this signify the commencement of a new culture, instead of "Trust and Confidence", we now have "Trust and Compensate".
Surely this is no way to build bridges when it comes to Community relations, in order to heal old wounds in terms of the relationship between the Police and the Black Community. We are reminded of the serious incidences and outcomes which many members of the Black community have suffered following Police contact, particularly as I attended Dalian Atkinson's funeral last week.
We also persistently hear the buzzword "Lessons Learnt", well I do not see any in this case. The Black Community continues to have issues when having contact with the Police with even recent referral which I have received. Talking disproportionality there are issues still with Stop n Search, Section 136, Taser, Cs Spray and Use of Force in addition to arrest and release with no Delete repeated word
Clearly, the Police are there to do a job at times in difficult circumstances, however, the stereotypical notion that all black people look the same and are all tarnished in some way must no longer be accepted by anyone.
We are further reminded of an article that |I wrote following the Brexit result " Are we returning to the days of No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs" and with recent event in the USA, it is concerning that race and community relations are on the verge of being globally strained, however, in terms of Policing, yet again not a good advert for Black recruitment in the West Midlands.
THE ARTICLE THAT THESE COMMENTS ARE BASED ON THE BBC MIDLANDS TODAY/BIRMINGHAM ARTICLE BEOW:
Desmond Jaddoo
27th November 2016
A man who claims he was arrested after the 2011 Birmingham riots because he was black has won a payout from police.
Emmanuel Prophet said he was at home watching television when the riots took place in August 2011. Police broke into his home days later.
He has now been given an out-of-court payment by police after claiming wrongful arrest and assault.
West Midlands Police said there was no admission of liability on its part and no officers had been disciplined.
More on this and other stories from Birmingham and the Black Country
Mr Prophet, 29, said he was in bed when police used a chainsaw to force entry into his home on 16 August.
He said he was hit in the head by officers after being told to get on the floor and had "no idea" how he was linked to the riots.
"Every day you're hearing about the black man being singled out from the community," he said.
"I believe they treated me as if they knew it was me and I hadn't done anything wrong."
Image caption Emmanuel Prophet's solicitor, Errol Robinson, said people should not still be arrested for fitting a racial profile Mr Prophet says he still gets "sudden flashbacks" to the arrest.
Following the out-of-court payment of £1,500, he plans to pursue a civil case against the force.
Errol Robinson, Mr Prophet's solicitor, said there was "absolutely no basis" for the arrest.
"The black community are not prepared to accept arrests simply because of ethnicity and appearance," he said.
"If they want to gain the trust and confidence of the community, they've got to act in a different way and certainly in a way that is lawful."
Mr Robinson said he understood Mr Prophet was arrested by police investigating attacks on the The Bartons Arms pub in Aston in August 2011 when it was firebombed and shots were fired at a police helicopter.
In a statement, West Midlands Police said: "Settlement has been agreed with Mr Prophet....without any admission of liability by West Midlands Police.
"Following an investigation by the Force's Professional Standards Department, no disciplinary action was taken against any officers involved."