Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Chris 'a bit late' Huhne

Apparently Chris Huhne has said that police officers who have been previously convicted of a crime should be fired, after statistics have revealed a large number of serving officers with criminal records.

I can't say I disagree with the sentiment but I wonder where Huhne's concern was last year when the former Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, and Labour leader on the GLA, was found to have convictions for carrying an offensive weapon?

Just asking.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Huhne is a hoon.

Curmudgeon said...

Weren't most of these convictions for motoring offences anyway?

Do we really want to sack a policeman because he's received a totting-up ban for speeding?

Oldrightie said...

LibDem = behind the curve!

Anonymous said...

Umm - should any conviction howsoever long ago disqualify one from being a police officer? Surely not. Then what about those who change their ways: is it not the case that sometimes the very best gamekeepers are those who have been poachers? Are we saying that there is no such thing as repentance, change and reform of an individual? What about those who are wrongfully convicted? Is it one strike and you are out or should it just be "serious" offenses (however one is supposed to define that)? What if the conviction was for say bopping a burglar who had broken into your home or inconveniencing the local hoodies? If this was to be consistent we would have to do away with the whole concept of "spent" convictions. If those with a conviction can not be police officers then should they be able to practice as doctors or teachers or bus drivers or accountants or anything else? This strikes me as a deeply illiberal suggestion.

Alan Douglas said...

If over half are "criminal" motoring convictions, then motor convictions need to be taken OUT of criminal law.

Wait til you get a "criminal" policeman removed from the police cuz on Saturday he helped his wife's market fruit stall and criminally sold a pound of bananas !

It will happen.

Alan Douglas

Anonymous said...

Personally I reckon a policeman with a few speeding tickets will probably be a better copper than one who sits po-faced in the middle of an empty open road at 58mph.

The real problem is that minor speeding shouldn't be an offence anyway - the evidence seems to be that those who speed slightly are actually the safest drivers of all. But that's another story.

bustop said...

The Home Secretary should be called in to give them all a jolly good talking to about propriety in Public life and being seen to be whiter than white. Perhaps not.

Serious point how can she deal with this with a straight face?

Anonymous said...

"Serious point how can she deal with this with a straight face?"

She has a very warped and bent face. I just hipe it warps more in the not too distant future.

Anonymous said...

Why should they be fired? Surely it depends on the circumstances.

Anonymous said...

This idiot appears to think that you could even begin to think of sacking an officer over an offence which was almost certainly committed a very long time ago and before the person joined the police and in all probability when they were juveniles. These offences would then have been disclosed to the police when the person was applying for their job and a decision made the as to their suitability. Under what law could they now be sacked. Ignorant political posturing and headline grabbing without a scintilla of real thought having gone into it.