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Tuesday, 7 October 2008

What is illegal?

The BBC cheerily report that
"A Greater Manchester police officer has been forced to resign after he was seen wearing a British National Party (BNP) badge at a football match.

Stuart Janaway, 36, from Irlam in Salford, wore the BNP badge to a game at Old Trafford in September 2006, while he was off duty.

A misconduct hearing was held last Friday after an investigation by the force's Professional Standards Branch.

As a result, police said Mr Janaway was "required to resign".

'High standards'

Acting Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, head of the Professional Standards Branch, said: "Item six of the Chief Constable's Order of 2004...makes it clear that officers are banned from being members of the BNP, Combat 18 or the National Front.

"This requirement extends into the private lives of police officers and police staff."

Mr Sweeney said all officers are aware that the implications of not complying with the regulations "will likely result in [their] dismissal".

"The officer failed to live up to the high standards we demand of everyone serving in the force," he said.

Mr Janaway had served in GMP for 14 years and worked as a Pc based at Longsight.

A BNP spokesman said: "We think what police officers do in their own time is up to them.

"We trust them to be able to do their job when they're working and operate in a fair and impartial way.""


To make matters clear, I do not support the BNP and doubt if they would want me or Mrs NotaSheep as members anyway BUT I do see a problem or two with this news story. First, we are told that "officers are banned from being members of the BNP, Combat 18 or the National Front", how do we know that Mr Janaway was a member of the BNP, he was just wearing a badge or does wearing a badge now make you liable to lose your job? The second thing that concerns me is that the three organisations that are listed are all those that would be described as "of the far-right", I will not debate that designation point now, but does that mean it is fine to be a policeman and belong to such organisations as The Revolutionary Communist Group, Socialist Workers Party (a "revolutionary socialist party"), Respect – The Unity Coalition or any of the myriad of the parties of the "left"?

2 comments:

Crushed said...

I would say the difference is that none of the far left organisations could ever be accused of not being impartial in upholding the law.

Whereas having Police Officers who are members of the BNP is likely to increase distrust of the Police amongst certain groups.

In much the same way, we wouldn't expect the NIPS (formerly the RUC) to employ members of extreme loyalist factions.

Not a sheep said...

Are you serious?

"I would say the difference is that none of the far left organisations could ever be accused of not being impartial in upholding the law." That's rather funny in its naivety.

"In much the same way, we wouldn't expect the NIPS (formerly the RUC) to employ members of extreme loyalist factions." But you are happy for ex IRA men to serve in the NIPS and indeed oversee it?