The Police and The Citizen

Unless there is more to it than meets the eye, the case of ex-soldier Frank McCourt would appear to strike a new low in relations between the police and the public.

Tormented by a pack of young thugs terrorising his wife, as well as throwing eggs, mud and stones at his home, he tried getting assistance using the official so-called “Antisocial Behaviour” reporting hotline, publicised by the council, only to give up after being put on hold for 45min. In desperation, he walked the streets to find the gang and attempted to carry out a citizen's arrest on one of them.

However, when the police finally arrived at his home, instead of even attempting to take action to stop the harassment he and his wife were suffering, they arrested him on a charge of kidnapping! Thus began a 6 months long ordeal that not only concerned a threatened prosecution, but also involved further harassment and intimidation from the relatives of the young scum involved.

The prosecution only ended when, after representations from his MP, Laura Moffat, the authorities, obviously realising that the case was going to make them a laughing stock, dropped the charges.

But, despite their desperate efforts to convict Mr. McCourt, so far as he is aware, other than “working with” the family of the yobs to persuade them to stop their criminal behaviour, no action has been taken against them at all.

Now think about it for a moment. Here we have someone who served his country honourably and loyally for 12 years requesting assistance from the authorities to deal with with a group of young thugs and being ignored. By carrying out a citizen's arrest he was even trying to assist the police by doing their job for them. What sort of mindset is it that then treats him, the victim, as the criminal and the thugs as the victims?

It is often said that there is an unwritten contract between the police and the public in that they protect us from anti-social and criminal activity in return for us giving up some of the rights to defend ourselves and property. As part of this, the police can only operate with the co-operation of the public and for that co-operation to exist, then the public must have confidence in their actions.

This case, and others like it, are not only a grave threat to that confidence, but also a threat to that contract. Perhaps his MP, Laura Moffat, may like to consider this, it is the social policies of the last 6 decades, strongly supported by her own Labour Party, that have, unintentionally, led to this situation.

Truly it is said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.