My sympathies to Sal Miah, owner of the Raj Poot restaurant in Crowborough, who tried to do his bit as an honest citizen recently.You no doubt are aware that politicians and some police are bemoaning the fact that citizens do not stand up for themselves more, when confronted with criminal activity.
These politicians and police argue that we have the right to use reasonable measures to protect ourselves and our property when confronted with criminal behaviour.
OK then!
That is exactly what Mr Miah did when he caught two teenage yobs who broke into his storeroom.
He chased them into a park, and then brought them back to the restaurant while he waited for the police.
While he waited a group of the boys' friends gathered outside the restaurant, which was filled with 50 diners, and started swearing and kicking the door.
Mr Miah went outside to try and talk to them, and with one hand pushed a couple of them away from the door.
Can you guess what happened next loyal readers?
Yes, that's right, when the police arrived they arrested Mr Miah on allegations of assault.
The fact that there were 50 witnesses in the restaurant was ignored by the police, the police attached more credibility to the views of the yobs.
Mr Miah was taken to Uckfield police station where his DNA and fingerprints were taken, and he was held in the cells before being cautioned for assault.
Now, after some media "hoo hah", the police (trying to "curry favour") have apologised to Mr Miah.
His caution for common assault has been revoked. However, as to whether his DNA and fingerprints have been removed from the database is another matter.
Wealden District commander chief inspector Julia Pope said:
"Two incidents at the restaurant, the assault and burglary, were wrongly dealt with in isolation.
They have been reviewed and it is believed that the man arrested had used reasonable force at the time. I have personally apologised to Mr Miah.
It was right for us to investigate the incident but, given all the circumstances, it was incorrect to caution him as he had used reasonable force. I have revoked the caution that was given at the time."
For good measure Ch Insp Pope added that Sussex Police is "firmly on the side of victims of crime".
That's not how this looks from where I am sitting.
She added:
"Anyone can make a citizen's arrest. Mr Miah did just this and used force in order to protect his property and himself.
It was unfortunate that on this occasion there was misunderstanding and the burglary and the assault were dealt with in isolation.
As a result we did not provide him with the service we would have like to."
Absolutely pathetic!
There is no way any sensible person would put themselves at risk, by making a citizen's arrest, from either the violence of the criminal or the boneheadedness of the police.
Politicians and police who call for greater citizen involvement should first take a look at the reality on the ground.
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You know, anyone can make a mistake and we all do from time to time. Of course some mistakes are more significant than others and whee the police are involved tend to have a life even after correction.
ReplyDeleteBut is seems to me that our society, from the areas that should be the most error free (perhaps like the police) to those of lesser obvious consequences (like call centre processes) is falling into a well of error proneness that may be difficult to clamber from.
Why is this?
Do we, the populace, somply not care?
Or is this really institutionalised misguidance intended to distract us in our everyday lives from what is going on at 'higher levels' in the world around us?
"You no doubt are aware that politicians and some police are bemoaning the fact that citizens do not stand up for themselves more, when confronted with criminal activity."
ReplyDeletePerhaps it might be an idea to send details of this incident to said politicians and every chief constable: then they might understand why this is.
Just typical of the police to criminalise the victim of the offence: makes one wonder what they are there for? I bet the only reason the police have dropped the charge is because of the publicity, and possibly also that even the CPS realise that obtaining a prosecution when the defence can call on fifty witnesses might be difficult.
"For good measure Ch Insp Pope added that Sussex Police is "firmly on the side of victims of crime".
I don't think so!
"Absolutely pathetic!"
I quite agree, Ken!
"There is no way any sensible person would put themselves at risk, by making a citizen's arrest, from either the violence of the criminal or the boneheadedness of the police."
Our modern police force make the Keystone Cops look intelligent and efficient!
"Politicians and police who call for greater citizen involvement should first take a look at the reality on the ground."
No chance, these dickheads are too comfortable in their (taxpayer funded) ivory towers.
All you need to remember in Nanny's world is that kids can do no wrong.....Another observation; It is another example of yet another woman, in a position of authority in a public body, having to stand up and apologise for something the organisation she's responsible for, doing something wrong.
ReplyDeleteI say keep shining lights onto these public bodies that abuse their power or make silly mistakes or policies in the name of cultural Marxism.
The police do seem keen to get people onto their DNA database....This will lead to even more lazy policing....CCTV cameras every where and the large databases, the police will never need to leave the station.
I think that another sad side to this story is that there were 50 people in the restaurant who apparently did very little to help.
ReplyDelete50 people sat shuffling their feet and trying not to get involved when the restaurant owner has to go and sort out the problem himself.
50 people who sat around watching an innocent man get arrested.
It is all well and good saying the police are inefficient (which they clearly were), and the yobs caused the trouble (which they clearly did), but while the general public are too frightened of the consequences to get involved then incidents like this will continue.
Gary;
ReplyDeleteConfusion and veiled threats have been a tactic used by the Labour controlled state to put the population in a state of fear, so that they won't do anything without Nanny's say so....Men are too scared to intervene when kids are involved because every kid today knows just what to say and what accusations to make to ensure the man is arrested....People are fearful to say no to a police officer or a council jobsworth, because they fear the consequenses of getting involved....This is the real victory for Nanny...A frightened or fearful population is much more easier to control than a well educated confident one.
Unless and until the law is clarified and carried out in the court system in relation to self defence and interventions to assist another or to protect property, people will, out of self preservation, pass by on the other side.
Tonk...........,
ReplyDelete‘Unless and until the law is clarified and carried out in the court system in relation to self defense and interventions to assist another or to protect property, people will, out of self preservation, pass by on the other side’.
It is up to the people to implement changes, and they cannot do this by looking the other way.
All social reforms are started by passionate people who believe that the system needs to be changed. These people are unafraid of bucking the trend.
Waiting for laws to be clarified and courts to sort themselves out is a weak and cowardly option.
Gary
ReplyDeleteQuote
"Waiting for laws to be clarified and courts to sort themselves out is a weak and cowardly option."
No it is not....With more and more people required to have CRB checks these days to go about their normal business, it is sensible, for people with livelyhoods to protect, not to get involved.....I think in previous days your argument was valid but, the power of the state is too big for people to really resist it so easily....We see similar situations developing in our nation as we saw in the hay day of the USSR....The EU's Lisbon Treaty is similar to the USSR's constitution...The state is starting to give more and more power to the police...The military services are being held in higher esteem and promoted....More draconian measures, including longer remands in custody without charges and siesure of assests.....No wonder people are frightened!!
Tonk,
ReplyDeleteI will clarify my thoughts with an example.....
There was a recent post on this site about the police and their failure to act when a little girl was left to drown in a car accident. Quite rightly, people were appalled that they would not take the risk of breaking the rules in order to help a child. Not particularly because they are paid to do such a job, but more from the fact that it is inhumane to simply stand to one side.
I am sure that you, like me, would have preferred to have seen these officers take action. To get on with doing what any other person would have been prompted to do, without thinking of the consequences to themselves.
However, it would appear that stepping forward and potentially breaking rules is something that we would like to see others do whilst doing absolutely nothing ourselves.
The general public are afraid of putting themselves on offer but are very quick to criticise others. This of course, is partly due to ‘over-nannying’ by the state. But until people start to show their disapproval with more than just web site blogs, then nothing will change for the better.
The original arrest was nothing to do with him being Asian then?
ReplyDeleteHang on chaps.
ReplyDeleteIt is entirely possible to be in the vicinity of an event and not realise what is actually happening, especialy in a restaurant where it is unlikely that 50 people had full visibility of the event.
Likewise the little girl in the car. How many poeple actuall saw what happened as it happened? If people believed and passed on their opinion that anyone in the car, and who had been in the car for xx time, was unlikely to be alive, how many would feel obliged to jump into a obviously potentially dangerous situation and risk adding to the death toll?
There have, recently, been plenty of stories of people dying in attempts to rescue family ( as you would) and pets (probably like family really but also perhaps not perceiving the risk of, say, thin ice). It's not unreasonable to have limits on what one might do without full knowledge of the circumstances.
I doubt the eaters were aware, at the time, that the owner had been arrested. I could imagine that the police made sure that happened away from the crowd.
Speculation, of course, on my part. I was not there. In either case.
Hang on chaps.
ReplyDeleteIt is entirely possible to be in the vicinity of an event and not realise what is actually happening, especialy in a restaurant where it is unlikely that 50 people had full visibility of the event.
Likewise the little girl in the car. How many poeple actuall saw what happened as it happened? If people believed and passed on their opinion that anyone in the car, and who had been in the car for xx time, was unlikely to be alive, how many would feel obliged to jump into a obviously potentially dangerous situation and risk adding to the death toll?
There have, recently, been plenty of stories of people dying in attempts to rescue family ( as you would) and pets (probably like family really but also perhaps not perceiving the risk of, say, thin ice). It's not unreasonable to have limits on what one might do without full knowledge of the circumstances.
I doubt the eaters were aware, at the time, that the owner had been arrested. I could imagine that the police made sure that happened away from the crowd.
Speculation, of course, on my part. I was not there. In either case.