To clarify

Rightyo a couple of things leading on from the post below, and their comments.

Firstly, to the anonymous person who says I've been away from the street too long. Whatever. I've been back on response team for a while now, if you had cared to read through previous articles you'll see I've mentioned it once or twice. I have been deliberately vague about precisely when. The stuff I've had to deal with the in just the last two sets of shifts would, if I posted about it, fill several posts. Stabbings, statutory rape, attempted murder, vehicle chases, kids into police protection to name but a few.

The thing is, I tend not to post about them. I have to resist that temptation for reasons of self-preservation. I will do, but after a sufficient passage of time.

So what was my point in the post below. I posted my first impression, and as though I wasn't in the job. Would anyone challenge the fact that on first impression that video wasn't shocking? That it looks like he hits a prone female pretty damn hard when she's already restrained? That it looks like it is really not proportionate?

Effectively, the "What on Earth" post below is half finished. I did originally start to write about from a job perspective: about her level of violence (it looks to me as though she gave him a good whack, enough to knock his hat off- what happened to the assault police charge is yet another thread) methods of restraint taught (or more to the point, not), level of force (empty hand, CS, closed/open baton) etc, and how he would've called for assistance, to which every unit goes, dog van or otherwise.

But for some reason I decided not to carry on, delete what I had written in the second half and post. Why? I guess to see what would happen, to provoke something.

Dibble picked up on another thing I had in mind to provoke responses about- the way this was reported and I like the way he put it as a "self perpetuating media frenzy".

Whether he was justified or not, the reporting of this has whether you or I like it or not, been a negative thing for all of us. Police readers of this will look at the video, will probably believe how the officer accounts for it, and say what he has done is justified, even that they might do it themselves. A bloke tried to grab my balls once in a one-on-one fight I once had, at a domestic job where my colleague had her own problems with the female. And I tell you what, when I finally got a restraint on after rolling about on his driveway for however long it was, hell I made sure it was on if you know what I mean.

But Jo Public probably won't believe the officer. They'll say "well of course he'll say that", and make the exact same comments I did in the original post. And it makes such good news (said with a Bloggs level of sarcasm)- what with small little targeted victim and the bigoted white police bullies. Ali Dezai is predictably all over this case.

One thing I can't work out is- why has it taken until she's convicted of it until the video is released. This incident has to be from how long ago? Why the delay? All sorts of cynical answers spring to my mind.

So yeah. There you go. I guess I did because I know a lot more people read this than comment, and I wanted to know what it would take. Dibble can have a warm self-congratulatory glow for picking up on it.

Next item on the agenda. Recently murdered someone? Don't fancy life in jail? Well it just so happens the most senior judge in the country agrees with you!

What a load of crap.