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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

The Secret Policeman

21:37 / 21.10.03

Powerful stuff. Guy goes undercover as a baby policeman and films it all surrepticiously. He ends up with some of his fellow trainees, secretly filmed, being filthily racist in their language, their fantasies and their behaviour. On the one hand, it stands to reason that these guys are not representative of all the recruits on his course but, on the other, their racism didn't seem to be sought out or picked up before they were on the streets in blue.

It was stomach churning and the fall out will run and run, I suspect. They've arrested the undercover reporter. Should give the man a medal. It does raise issues about the honey trap possibilities of secret filming and those were in my mind throughout but the vile and entrenched bigotry was horrific and, to hear it, instructive.

11:38 / 22.10.03

Damn powerful stuff. Made me hopping mad, especially as some of the worst stuff was said by a copper serving with North Wales Police.

Then again, this morning he resigned from the force. And they've been pretty bloody critical of him, too.

PC Rob Pulling, one of eight police recruits suspended for alleged racist comments recorded in an undercover documentary, has resigned.
The acting deputy chief constable of North Wales police, Clive Wolfendale, confirmed PC Pulling's resignation from the force at a press conference today.
Mr Wolfendale said he felt "physically sick" at the alleged revelations in the BBC report, The Secret Policeman. He said the force would be writing to the family of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence to apologise for "obscene" comments PC Pulling was seen to make on the documentary.
Mr Wolfendale said that PC Pulling was a "raw recruit" and never walked the streets unsupervised or dealt with any incident unchecked. But he added: "It is scant comfort this morning. Pulling has ashamed his colleagues, his uniform and his service. He is a disgrace."

Agreed.

Other points; I like the way David Blunkett's been having a go at the BBC for 'creating the news' rather than reporting it. I bloody hate that argument - it's basically suggesting that investigative journalism shouldn''t be carried out because, by uncovering a story, you have 'created' news, rather than just by reacting to things which happen. Which is obviously all reporters should do - take the latest Home Office press release and report that. Wanker.

Interesting to note that the BBC is happy to run racist terms in full but will bleep the word 'cunt' out of its programmes. What message does that send out, I wonder?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:13 / 22.10.03

The ever (or at the very least, often) wonderful Matthew Norman's Diary piece from today's Guardian: (posted rather than linked cos only small and interwebnet especially slow today):

Matthew Norman
Wednesday October 22, 2003
The Guardian

Whether or not you saw BBC1's The Secret Policeman last night, you will doubtless be aware both of its content - secretly filmed footage of racist police recruits - and David Blunkett's response. Our Daily Mail-worshipping home secretary was disgusted, of course, but not so much with the police as with the Beeb's undercover reporting methods and failure to send him an advance copy. Priorities, priorities ... and Marina Hyde rings the Home Office to say how refreshing it is to find a senior Labour politician devoting more anger and energy towards the BBC than the exposure of grotesque racism in the police. "Ri-ight," says John. Perhaps you'd confirm that, had secret footage been obtained from Pol Pot's killing fields, David would have raged at the reporters who got it for not going through the proper accreditation channels? "Look, we have stressed how seriously we regard allegations of racism." But you haven't, have you? "We've made great progress with this issue. But equally, David Blunkett raised another issue..." Equally? So a policeman in a home-made Ku Klux Klan hood saying he wants to "eradicate the whole fucking country" of Asians and you not getting an advance copy are equal? "Both are massively significant," says John. "There's no pecking order." I think you'll find there is, John. Now, good day.

Although I do think "racism rife in Her Majesty's Constabulary" is something of a non-story...

13:26 / 22.10.03

Yeah, I was going to post that diary piece and when I went to the Gruniad main page, the story I linked to was the lead.

As regards 'police racist' being a non-story - well, we all suspect these things and there are lots and lots of examples to draw on, but it is good to see someone fighting to keep them in the public's gaze.

Another point which I forgot to make above; how brave is Mark Daly? Making the whole programme took serious balls and he's going to be somewhat of a marked man now - 'accidentaly' being pulled over for traffic violations and the like himself.

And yes, if the case against him isn't dismissed, it's going to be a disgrace. The pecuniary advantage charge seems a red herring as the BBC kept all his money in a trust and are offering to pay it all back; that means he'll face court over making a hole in a bulletproof vest for his pinhole camera.

17:28 / 05.11.03

Common sense prevailed....