Why are people so down on the police?

TBH every time i come back from abroad i am thankful of the police force we have here. The only exception being OZ, where i was impressed with the police.

There are fuckers in every organization, but the fact that if i am pulled over i know i am not going to be rinsed for some cash in return for not being hauled off on some trumped up bullshit charge, which has happened to me in France, The US, Italy and Spain, makes me appreciate them.

I agree, the police here actually do their job (sure they could do it better, but that goes for all of us), makes a welcome change from the bastards we used to have.

No you are right, I know nothing about you, my impression is founded on this thread and this thread aone.

You links, first 2 are nothing more than the police doing the job they are paid to do. The 3rd I can't open and the 4th is the police again doing their job, I haven't read the whoe of that thread and realise it is an emotive one so don't want to sound critical but I think the CPS woud have had more of a bearing on the upgrading of the court (correct me if I'm wrong) and whilst the outcome is superb, again, arguably we are appauding the police doing their job.

And you still haven't commented on how effectively calling people immature isn't a personal insult?

I haven't actually stated my views on the police other than I disagree with you. I refuse to applaud them for doing their job but when on occassion they go above and beyond then yes of courtse they deserve it. But they certainly deserve criticism and in this day and age when everything can be filmed and posted on the net they will clearly get it. But I have had too many brushes with them to feel anything other than nervy around them and have a strong distrust of them.

It's only a personal insult if it's directed at an individual, as you did, and now Gregorio has. I haven't directed any personal insults at you or anyone else.

You are clearly not one of life's great thinkers, sorry.

Your whole soapbox statement is basically like saying:

Vanilla Icecream. It doesn't get nearly enough praise. The only thing you hear about vanilla icecream is bad experiences. I think that people slagging off vanilla icecream are just trying to be cool.

What I would ask is have YOU had any good experiences with the police? If so why aren't you highlighting them or providing any firsthand experience? If not why the fuck are you trying to start such a holier than thou 'argument' that really doesn't have much substance other than vague generalities or personal opinion? If you yourself haven't got any examples of good policing, then why do you expect others to have any?

Clearly negative service in any walk of life attracts more comment-you can go into a whole load of social reasoning for why people dislike the police as people on here have, and you then move the goalposts to purely cycle related examples-which really, isn't the point-the police are not a purely cycle related entity, are they? If you really think the Police deserve more good press why not start a 'Good Police Experience' thread for people to contribute? Or maybe just volunteer giving them comforting massages and polishing their shoes to show your appreciation on the weekend?

Go stick a thermometer up your arse and try operating the thing between your ears a bit more.

I do have personal experiences of good policing, but I chose ones specifically around cycling from the forum as this is a cycling forum. So, the goalposts haven't shifted the cycling relationship is implicit.

I have thought about starting a 'good policing thread' or similar for people to share their experiences - good idea.

I believe that the examples I have provided do demonstrate that when there's good news about the police (cracking down on cycle theft etc.) there is very little positive feedback in comparison to the amount of whinging that goes on about the police generally here.

Please don't resort to personal insults, it's really not neccessary.

yes there are a lot of good police in the UK but the number of pigs is overwhelming and prominent.

I see things this way too. And I'm as quick to praise exceptionally good service (in any sector), as I am to complain about piss poor service.

The good police are always good, and I wish they were seen as role models within the force. The pigs can be okay if they believe they're attending to help you, but in any ambiguous situation their lack of intelligence and prejudicial outlook is plain to see; and they also get horribly manipulated by pernicious higher authorities.

[QUOTE=Skully;1501791] .... I have always mistrusted the Police. And I will continue to do so.

Up until you ass/house/bike/flat is in peril and they come to your rescue...
[/QUOTE]

That doesn't add up. So what if I may or may not have called them at some point in my life? That doesn't mean that I trust them.

By the way, if I did have a donkey that was in peril, I would call the RSPCA, not the Police.

I do have personal experiences of good policing, but I chose ones specifically around cycling from the forum as this is a cycling forum. So, the goalposts haven't shifted the cycling relationship is implicit.

I have thought about starting a 'good policing thread' or similar for people to share their experiences - good idea.

I believe that the examples I have provided do demonstrate that when there's good news about the police (cracking down on cycle theft etc.) there is very little positive feedback in comparison to the amount of whinging that goes on about the police generally here.

Please don't resort to personal insults, it's really not neccessary.

my god.

So, if your argument is why do people complain about the police more than praise them, couldn't you surmise that instead of them trying to be cool and jump on the bandwagon, there is a more negative experience surrounding them than positive, and that this reflects the trend of cyclists being at the low-end of police priorities?

Again, you dodge the fact that by asserting that people who complain about the police are 'trying to be cool' you are being 1: incredibly generalistic, 2: very condescending and 3: there's really no way of supporting that with any kind of empirical evidence, let alone much by way of direct reference to the forum, other than a few items that vaguely support your argument.

I think you have an incredibly blinkered viewpoint-both in relation to this thread and the way you try to negotiate some kind of credible argument and in relation to the wider world whereby if people complain about the police they are simply being immature and their opinion isn't valid. But then I'm probably offending your sensibilities by pointing out the massive gap in logic that exists in your initial and subsequent posts so I'll leave you be now.

I believe that the examples I have provided do demonstrate that when there's good news about the police (cracking down on cycle theft etc.) there is very little positive feedback in comparison to the amount of whinging that goes on about the police generally here.

I believe it has already been demonstrated that most people on this forum will give the police praise when they deserve it. That does not mean that we will laud them with applause when they merely do their job. People on this forum won't grovel and say thanks just because the police haven't fucked them up the ass as they are wont to.

Police save more lives each year (an unconfirmed but likely fact)

Tynan, when he arrives, will have you for this!

who is Trebor an alias of?

One aspect of this debate has long raised my curiosity. The police have free PR like any business would die for. Think of all the films, books, television programmes, radio plays and computer games in which the police appear as the good guys. Morse, the Bill, Dirty Harry etc etc etc. Yet, despite all of that really positive image being created for free by the media, they still have trouble recruiting the right people and have trouble with their image with the public. Does this mean that PR is guff or is there something else that causes this?

who is Trebor an alias of?

Robert?

The Po - lease are just like real peoples.

There are a few knob shines, but there are a lot of good guys trying there best to help people, in spite of a bureaucratic system that sometimes makes it hard for them.

This article and clip was pretty disturbing though. You expect someone who enforces the law, to at least know it...? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/officers-claim-they-dont-need-law-to-stop-photographer-taking-pictures-2012827.html

When's the last time you heard anyone on this forum sing their praises about the colonic they just had eh? All I hear is fucking moaning and whining about people being over-forceful with the hose, the water being too cold, inadequate reading material, the smell of shit. I think they're just trying to be cool, but I'm not going to offer you any personal experience or so much as validate my claims with any kind of demonstrable evidence. In fact, I'm going to have a right good sulk as and when anyone disagrees with me being openly condescending and dismissive, and bloody well ignore any comment that might otherwise contradict me, before robustly re-asserting that my argument is as bullet proof as charlie bronson's ballsack and rounding upon those immature 'cool people' with another bloody good riposte of generality thats as difficult to circumnavigate as the antartic is when wearing nothing but a cock warmer and some surgical gauze. Then I'm going to go back to reading the Evening Standard and harrumph heartily at the damn good no-nonsense common sense contained within.

my god.

So, if your argument is why do people complain about the police more than praise them, couldn't you surmise that instead of them trying to be cool and jump on the bandwagon, there is a more negative experience surrounding them than positive, and that this reflects the trend of cyclists being at the low-end of police priorities?

Again, you dodge the fact that by asserting that people who complain about the police are 'trying to be cool' you are being 1: incredibly generalistic, 2: very condescending and 3: there's really no way of supporting that with any kind of empirical evidence, let alone much by way of direct reference to the forum, other than a few items that vaguely support your argument.

I think you have an incredibly blinkered viewpoint-both in relation to this thread and the way you try to negotiate some kind of credible argument and in relation to the wider world whereby if people complain about the police they are simply being immature and their opinion isn't valid. But then I'm probably offending your sensibilities by pointing out the massive gap in logic that exists in your initial and subsequent posts so I'll leave you be now.

But my approach has helped create some very interesting responses. And I do believe that there's an element of slagging the police off because it's almost some kind of sport on this forum and I'm certain, from experience, that amongst some parts of the cycling community being down on the police is seen as 'cool'. Go if you wish, I stopped taking you seriously when you started resorting to personal insults.

The Po - lease are just like real peoples.

There are a few knob shines*, but there are a lot of good guys trying there best to help people, in spite of a bureaucratic system that sometimes makes it hard for them.

This article and clip was pretty disturbing though. You expect someone who enforces the law, to at least know it...**? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/officers-claim-they-dont-need-law-to-stop-photographer-taking-pictures-2012827.html

• a few?
  ** ... plenty...
  

he was spearmint gum or wrigleys spearmint for a few posts then changed to other confectionery based aliases

But my approach has helped create some very interesting responses. And I do believe that there's an element of slagging the police off because it's almost some kind of sport on this forum and I'm certain, from experience, that amongst some parts of the cycling community being down on the police is seen as 'cool'. Go if you wish, I stopped taking you seriously when you started resorting to personal insults.

haha. Since when is making an under-informed generalisation an 'approach'? You make it sound like you're Dale Winton hosting a fucking chat show. I stopped taking you seriously the second I read your first post, which curiously enough, insults the intelligence of just about everyone on this forum. Grow a brain. And have a donut:

haha. Since when is making an under-informed generalisation an 'approach'? You make it sound like you're Dale Winton hosting a fucking chat show. I stopped taking you seriously the second I read your first post, which curiously enough, insults the intelligence of just about everyone on this forum. Grow a brain. And have a donut:

I'm entitled to an opinion and it's one I believe has been backed up with examples with links to threads or posts about police success stories and how they are often commented on far less than the amount of criticism the police get here (sometimes deservedly).

Opinionated generalisations have been used to provoke response and start discussions since the birth of language.

You really shouldn't allow yourself to get so wound up so easily.

I agree with VanUden's assertion that the 'police praise' threads aren't as popular as the 'fuck da police' threads. Mainly because I've checked them.

And I don't particularly like people co-opting an anti-police stance when they've yet to be directly affected by police brutality/corruption/inefficiency (either as a victim or close friend or family of victim). If you're desperate to sound off about them, go and take your chances in the kind of contexts where they're most likely to stick the boot in.

Obviously untold people have been directly affected, which is why the police have the reputation they do. But I don't think VanUden was ever denying their infamy.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Gregorio again.

I thought trebor was dj?

No, there would be a...

....double space if that was the case

"Why are people so down on the police?"

My dad's a retired copper.
I don't think people are more negative now about the police than before.
Has respecting authority ever been seen as "cool"?

The police are an easy target for criticism from a wide cross-section of society and is probably why a lot of coppers have an "us and them" attitude.
At worst that attitude can manifest itself in the distasteful action by riot police at protests and marches in central London - but at best it can see officers genuinely risk their lives to save others.
My old man always says; "sometimes you've got to earn your money." and for frontline police that can be some scary shit.

Coppers know they are never going to be thanked for enforcing traffic offences and other minor crimes, and in the unlikely event they are it's often tinged with a criticism that they should be doing more of it - or should have done it sooner.

However they often do get praise from the people they help.
From what I've seen it can be a highly satisfying job when you get it right - and possibly one of the worst jobs going when you get it wrong.

Above all else though I think the simple truth is it's easier to moan and complain than to praise, and usually it's much more fun to read about as well!

I'm entitled to an opinion and it's one I believe has been backed up with examples with links to threads or posts about police success stories and how they are often commented on far less than the amount of criticism the police get here (sometimes deservedly).

Opinionated generalisations have been used to provoke response and start discussions since the birth of language.

You really shouldn't allow yourself to get so wound up so easily.

Opinionated generalisations are the trademark of someone who doesn't have the intelligence or knowledge to construct a convincing argument that will stand up to cross examination. You are now typecasting yourself into the role of 'provocateur' in order to avoid the fact that the few examples you gave really didn't amount to much, and that your 'argument' as a whole amounts to nothing more than sermonising.

You really shouldn't allow yourself to be so sanctimonious.

But my approach has helped create some very interesting responses. And I do believe that there's an element of slagging the police off because it's almost some kind of sport on this forum and I'm certain, from experience, that amongst some parts of the cycling community being down on the police is seen as 'cool'.

and so what? what is your problem with this? are you saying they should be accepting the police with open arms, welcoming them for a stop and search at every opportunity, pointing out their fellow brakless riders, and celebrating their mediocre successes with an over-enthusiastic "clappity clappity"?

fixed gear is cool, so what? it's getting some people into cycling.

distrust of the police is cool, and? it's getting some people to think about how they relate to their state.