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An old friend of mine has just posted pics on FB of her badly bruised face, arms and legs after being man handled to the ground by three police officers after asking for directions to her hotel in Manchester after being separated from her husband after a night out. She was dragged into an alley and thrown facedown onto the floor by three officers. After her screaming for help a fourth officer came on the scene and she was let go and sent on her way. She called the Greater Manchester MET the next day and they have no record of the incident. Her local constabulary have no interest either. What can she do next?
Have a look at the crimebodge website.. Hes forever suing the police for various issues
She needs some evidence - audio, visual or witness.
Without any of that I fear it's her word against theirs - and she's unlikely to win.
There surely has to be more to the story than that....
There surely has to be more to the story than that….
According to her account, no.
+1There surely has to be more to the story than that….
Was she pissed?
+1 for crimebodge, it fair to say he’s not a fan of the police and has successfully sued them and help people sue them.
There surely has to be more to the story than that….
Very much this. If she has cause for complaint she should contact the IOPC rather than post it on Facebook.
I thought that GMP usually wore bodycameras, especially those working in the city centre on a Saturday night.
If four Police Officers were involved in this alleged incident then I am surprised that the incident was not reported/logged by one of them, footage/audio seen/heard by control room staff at the time, or that it couldn't be found the next day.
Maybe she should contact the IOPC
IOPC is who you complain to if the police don’t handle your complaint satisfactorily, if you go straight to them they’ll send you straight back to GMP. Complain direct to GMP. Please let us know the rest of the story when it comes out.
EDIT - Looks like you can complain direct to IOPC (unlike PIRC in Scotland) and they’ll forward it on to GMP.
Just realized from that crimebodge website that the Chief Constable of the GM met is an old school mate of mine and an ex resident of the same town she’s from. I’ve sent her his email address maybe that will help.
Just realized from that crimebodge website that the Chief Constable of the GM met is an old school mate of mine and an ex resident of the same town she’s from. I’ve sent her his email address maybe that will help.
Errr no. Raise the complaint via the official channels.
Errr no. Raise the complaint via the official channels.
+1
I would also probably recommend that she removes the Facebook post which serves no purpose now that the correct channel to deal with any issue/complaint has been identified to her.
Messaging your old friend the CC of GMP really isnt the way to do this.
Im sure there is a lot more to this story than some onesided hearsay posted on Facebook.
Take photos of any injuries, including bruising and make a complaint by email to the IOPC.
So someone without any previous is assaulted by 3 Police Officer’s and a 4th comes to her rescue, but the next day the Police are not interested or tell her how to complain officially 🤔
I would be posting on FB to get it sorted too...and telling the Daily. Mail for good measure too
If she needed "man handling" to the point of bruising being caused etc then surely she would have been nicked for drunk and disorderly?
Hmm, I may be cynical but a girl who goes up to a group of police officers and politely asks for directions does not get treated that way.
The advice above is right for the complaint but you need for the full story and I’m really not sure you have it.
My immediate reaction was that they weren't genuine Police. Or she walked into the middle of something else kicking off to ask directions without noticing. It seems very odd.
Without being able to identify the coppers/having witnesses it would be hard to get bodycam footage. Unless she's appealing for witnesses it shouldn't be on social media though.
+1 for not getting the full story.
My guess is she has a really annoying voice or some other mitigating circumstances. It's a fact that police officers never turn violent for no reason.
Rare moment of STW being in agreement, yer mates talking shite
Is my sarcasm too subtle for everyone or just mashr?
BruceWee
Member
Is my sarcasm too subtle for everyone or just mashr?
or hadn't read your post? Standing by my statement
Well, in 50 years of interacting with the Police, including a few "errors of judgement" on my part, they've never suddenly turned violet for no reason, but others experience will no doubt vary
There are certainly some bad/dodgy police officers but 3 of them together choosing to assault a woman who'd just asked for directions seems a bit unbelievable to me. It might well have been the case they acted with excessive force if was just drunk & lairy but then it's odd they didn't arrest her to at least try and cover themselves (although possibly having to submit bodycam evidence might have made them decide not to). Not sure how long bodycam footage is saved if no arrests are made (assuming they even had them)?
I think the fact that three of them acted together makes the story more plausible not less. The mob mentality: safety in numbers, less feeling of responsibility, three against one they'll never believe her... .
If you Google "police complaint Manchester" the first results are forms to fill in.
For context:
they’ve never suddenly turned violet for no reason
Kudos for shoe-horning in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reference 😉
Standing by my statement
You seem very certain. There are two explanations here. One is that her account is not just 'only part of the story' but 100% a fabrication.
The other is that the police acted unlawfully (unless the part of the story that she is skipping is that she was arrested).
You seem convinced (and also seem to think the rest of STW is convinced) that she 100% fabricated her story.
What are you basing that on?
There surely has to be more to the story than that….
Was she walking on the cracks in the pavement?
Damn, too late to edit as well
It all sounds very far-fetched to me.
4 policemen all in the same place?
Your mate is talking shite.
The fact that her only actions since have been to post it on Facebook rather than pursue proper complaint channels reinforces that she is talking shite, or is thick, or both.
Well, in 50 years of interacting with the Police, including a few “errors of judgement” on my part, they’ve never suddenly turned violet for no reason,
...until they open that cell door and push you forcefully through and say "In dey go"
Very good perchy 👌
Having made that little joke, I get the feeling coppers end up a bit jumpy after taking years of shit. They always seem to look a little worried if I approach them if something has happened on a night out (apart from the large ones), I guess maybe because I have Steve Buscemi eyes, like they’re half expecting me to turn out to be a drug addled lunatic.
Good people end up doing shit things because of trauma, desensitisation, human propensity to classify and pigeonhole and group dynamics. In that context I guess it could be plausible the OPs friend is telling the truth. Then again it could well be made up bollocks.
I hold such action in Beauregarde......
BadlyWiredDog
Subscriber
they’ve never suddenly turned violet for no reasonKudos for shoe-horning in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reference 😉
until they open that cell door and push you forcefully through and say “In dey go”
That deserves more recognition. Good work.
BruceWee
Member
You seem very certain. There are two explanations here. One is that her account is not just ‘only part of the story’ but 100% a fabrication.
The other is that the police acted unlawfully (unless the part of the story that she is skipping is that she was arrested).
You seem convinced (and also seem to think the rest of STW is convinced) that she 100% fabricated her story.
What are you basing that on?
At no point did i say it's 100% a fabrication, I said she's talking shite. How big is this woman, or what super-drugs is she on, that requires 3 police officers to take her down? Why would they "drag her into an alley" when they could just cuff her and throw her in a van?
OTOH, you seem to be getting very excited by the story, so crack on
after being separated from her husband after a night out
Maybe she was so pissed her husband left her to it (or she went off looking for more fun) - she fell over/passed out and has come up with this [pretty incredible] story to cover her arse/shame.
She called the Greater Manchester MET the next day and they have no record of the incident.
Hmm.... I wonder why that might be? Possibly because it never happened?
I know that the Police aren't perfect - but I really doubt this would ever happen in the way she recounts it.
And yes... three police officers together with another just around the corner within earshot?
Are you sure she wasn't in Hong Kong?
How big is this woman, or what super-drugs is she on, that requires 3 police officers to take her down?
In my very limited experience of this area seemingly disproportionate numbers of police to control one person are there to minimise harm to that person and themselves. When my wife's nick had Bronson there I think they decided 6 was the optimum number of officers to get him out of a cell with minimum harm to anybody.
OTOH, you seem to be getting very excited by the story, so crack on
I'm the one that's getting excited?
On reading the OP's account, which one of us grabbed their pitchfork and started screaming, 'LIAR!! BURN THE BLASPHEMER!!!'?
And before you say I jumped in to attack the police, I didn't. I have no way of knowing any of the details. I was pointing out that to accuse someone who complains about the police of lying because the story sounds unlikely is a very dangerous attitude to take.
Almost every abuse of power in history has been allowed to continue because the victims were always assumed to be lying.
I cannot believe for a minute that we have police so corrupt (I know, I know) that a group of them would set upon a lone woman and beat her up after she asked for directions. As stated before, someone isn't telling the truth and I don't think it's the police.
When my wife’s nick had Bronson there I think they decided 6 was the optimum number of officers to get him out of a cell with minimum harm to anybody.
Was your missus a prison officer or an inmate? 🙂
Motive?
Was your missus a prison officer or an inmate? 🙂
🙂 parole clerk.
Maybe it's because she was bla.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ddered
after being man handled to the ground by three police officers after asking for directions to her hotel in Manchester after being separated from her husband after a night out
Wow. Why does it seem like there has to be more to it than that?
"Hi. I'm just minding my own business, but wondering how to get back to my hotel. Can you help me?"
I cannot believe for a minute that we have priests so corrupt (I know, I know) that a group of them would set out to cover up widespread abuse. As stated before, someone isn’t telling the truth and I don’t think it’s the priests.
But yeah, by all means, assume the victim is lying despite having absolutely no information. It's the lubrication that keeps society gliding along quietly.
If I knew how to post gifs in here I would be posting the popcorn eating MJ right now. This thread has the potential to be a cracker
I cannot believe for a minute that we have police so corrupt (I know, I know) that a group of them would set upon a lone woman and beat her up after she asked for directions. As stated before, someone isn’t telling the truth and I don’t think it’s the police.
I don’t either, but there’s a fine line that is easily broken. We’re very lucky to live in a country as relatively uncorrupt as it is - sometimes I think we take it for granted. Corruption is something that is very easy to normalise and yet very hard to get rid of.
There’s a joke in a lot of developing countries that if the police turn up within a few minutes of your house being robbed, it was the police robbing you.
But yeah, by all means, assume the victim is lying despite having absolutely no information. It’s the lubrication that keeps society gliding along quietly.
In this case (given the scant information the OP has given) I would be much more inclined to believe the police. If the OP had said 'she was tripping into next Sunday on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol then became abusive and physically attacked on duty police in uniform when they asked her to move on' but still thought they had used disproportionate use of force to subdue the situation I may have more reason to consider that I am not reading a story straight from Billingsgate Market.
BruceWee
Member
On reading the OP’s account, which one of us grabbed their pitchfork and started screaming, ‘LIAR!! BURN THE BLASPHEMER!!!’?
And before you say I jumped in to attack the police, I didn’t. I have no way of knowing any of the details. I was pointing out that to accuse someone who complains about the police of lying because the story sounds unlikely is a very dangerous attitude to take.
Almost every abuse of power in history has been allowed to continue because the victims were always assumed to be lying.
I wasn't going to say anything tbh
I’m the one that’s getting excited?
So, yes.
There are certainly some bad/dodgy police officers but 3 of them together choosing to assault a woman who’d just asked for directions seems a bit unbelievable to me.
It doesn't require all 3 to be "choosing", it just requires 1 or 2 and the other choose not to do anything about it.
Its a while ago now but I got pulled over for having a digital SLR which resulted in a stop and search and I got either gobby or insistent (depending how you want to class it) that they issued me a stop and search form BEFORE they searched me as per PACE.
One of them wanted to drag me into an alley but the other was more restrained.
However they didn't issue me with the form until after and during the search the aggressive one inflicted as much "punishment" as they could (for daring to ask them to comply with the law) in plain view using a biro to jab me and the more passive one did nothing to stop him.
So Steve - you weren't just asking for directions, you did something to cause the reaction you got, yet you weren't beaten by three officers (you were prodded with a pen) and still you think the OP post has a semblance of basis in truth?
And - you weren't pulled for having a digital camera were you? You were doing something *with* that camera which they found suspicious, yes?
For johnjn2000
Its a while ago now but I got pulled over for having a digital SLR which resulted in a stop and search and I got either gobby or insistent (depending how you want to class it) that they issued me a stop and search form BEFORE they searched me as per PACE.
I never understood this type of reaction.
In the first place: why, if asked to show something non-incriminating, would you not show it? Okay, the law doesn't require you to. But so what? The law doesn't require you to hold the door open for someone either, but it's just kind of a decent thing to do.
In a society like ours, which is already heavily surveyed, why do we make such a big deal of "stop and search"? Sure it can be abused, but so can any system. Canadians aren't exactly oppressed by their police, or made to feel like they live in police state, but cops can stop anyone at any time and ask for identification.
I find the decision to get belligerent over police requests a bit strange, when hardly anyone complains about the fact that there is hardly a square metre patch in London that isn't under a camera. Very British, and very much like one of my toddlers at home.
EDIT: Or were you in fact doing something that you felt defensive about?
As lots of people have said, the story doesn't seem very credible. If the story was that the police lost patience with a drunk who was being abusive, that would be quite believable. But "I just asked for directions and they threw me a beating and tossed me in an alley for no reason" raises red flags because there is no apparent motive. Like everyone above, not saying it's 100% fabricated, just that it seems quite likely that some important details might have been left out. Assuming that there was police misconduct, the credibility of witnesses will be essential, so if the complainant is not telling it 100% as it happened, that will give the officers involved an obvious defense.
Anyway, the only way to do anything about it is to make a formal complaint and identify the officers involved. If you can't identify the officers, hard to see how a complaint is going to succeed.
Its a while ago now but I got pulled over for having a digital SLR which resulted in a stop and search and I got either gobby or insistent (depending how you want to class it) that they issued me a stop and search form BEFORE they searched me as per PACE
And the officer may have thought it’s not practicable to do the search record at the moment as this guy is being unusually aggressive and I want to get him searched I’ll do it as soon as practicable after the search is completed (as PACE CoP A states). Who knows?
Dickyboy
@brucewee maybe she was wearing a loud shirt in a built up area?
I got your reference mate.
This is a hypothetical. This is not what I think happened. It's a response to the numerous, 'I can't imagine the police would ever...' responses.
Paul just found out his wife, who left him last month, had been cheating on him for two years. He's been feeling so down lately that he figured a couple of pints at lunch couldn't do any harm. His shift doesn't start until 19:00 after all.
He wakes up at 18:35. A couple pints turned into a 6 or 7 and he only managed a couple of hours sleep. He's going to be late for work.
After the bollocking he got for being late he's in a bad mood. Luckily no one seems to have noticed he's still half-cut. His shift starts badly and gets worse. It's drunken dickhead after drunken dickhead and he can't do a ****ing thing about it. His hangover is kicking in with a vengeance.
He's with his two colleagues and yet another drunk woman is stumbling towards him. She looks nothing like his wife but when she opens her mouth that same entitled tone and irritating accent emerges.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for my hotel."
Typical, too drunk to even realise the world doesn't know which hotel she is staying at.
"Can't help you, I'm afraid." Paul says, turning away. There is one group of lads across the street eyeing up another. Too many things to keep an eye on these days and nowhere near enough eyes.
He feels her grip his arm and she pulls him around with surprising force. He looks into the eyes of the entitled raging drunken bitch who is launching into a tirade about not being ignored. Something snaps and he grabs her by the hair and starts pulling her into the alley. He throws her down and has his fist on the back of her head and is squeezing her face into the street. She's screaming. He feels hands grabbing him from behind and sees others pulling the woman away from him.
By the time his head clears fully they are two streets away. ".... and we don't mention a thing about it. This never happened. What the hell is wrong with you?".
This is not what I think happened. It's one possible set of circumstances that could lead to what the OP described happening. It's why I don't think it's impossible it could have happened
I find it terrifying that so many people feel the need to tell the OP his friend is lying. You have absolutely no information and yet you are confident enough to tell someone whose friend may have just been assaulted that she is a liar.
It's pretty disgusting, tbh.
Canadians aren’t exactly oppressed by their police, or made to feel like they live in police state, but cops can stop anyone at any time and ask for identification.
Having watched the Simon Reeve documentary last night, I would suggest the Canadian Police aren't a shining example of best practice.
"why, if asked to show something non-incriminating, would you not show it?"
There's an entire Wikipedia page on the subject.
This is not what I think happened. It’s one possible set of circumstances that could lead to what the OP described happening. It’s why I don’t think it’s impossible it could have happened
Yet you have fabricated a story whereby the person making the accusation was a 'raging drunken bitch' (which may have led to the mitigating circumstances whereby there had been an over-reaction by the police). However the OP states that she was simply asking for directions which is why so many of us are very suspicious about what exactly happened...
So Steve – you weren’t just asking for directions, you did something to cause the reaction you got, yet you weren’t beaten by three officers (you were prodded with a pen) and still you think the OP post has a semblance of basis in truth?
And – you weren’t pulled for having a digital camera were you? You were doing something *with* that camera which they found suspicious, yes?
What I was doing *with* the camera was simply wearing it round my neck. I wasn't even using the camera at the time I was merely walking to a bus stop.
The aggressive one made it quite clear what dragging me into the alley was for and it seems pretty obvious the pen jabbing was to try and illicit a reaction that would then justify beating the shit out of someone who dared to question their illegal search.
Steve - did you make a complaint?
I find it terrifying that so many people feel the need to tell the OP his friend is lying.
No, people are saying that it seems quite likely that some details might have been left out and that evidence stronger than one drunk civilian's word against four police officers would be needed if the complaint is to succeed. Evidence such as: the names/numbers of the officers; eyewitness accounts from strangers; bodycam footage; medical records detailing the injuries; etc. Without that, the complaint won't go anywhere.
Yet you have fabricated a story whereby the person making the accusation was a ‘raging drunken bitch’ (which may have led to the mitigating circumstances whereby there had been an over-reaction by the police).
I didn't say she was a raging drunken bitch. I wrote a short story in which a police officer's sense of judgement temporarily deserts him due to a combination of depression, inebriation, and the increasing workload the police have to deal with.
I wrote it because so many people on here seem to have trouble imagining a set of circumstances where what the OP described could happen.
We do not have the entire story. Why people feel the need to tell the OP his recently assaulted friend is a liar I really don't understand.
I didn’t say she was a raging drunken bitch.
You did....
He feels her grip his arm and she pulls him around with surprising force. He looks into the eyes of the entitled raging drunken bitch who is launching into a tirade about not being ignored.
Why are so many ignoring the fact that the Police let her go?
If she had done anything, with 3 Officers as witnesses, they would of locked her up and then charged her. As others have said, they would be wearing body cameras to back it up. It's an easy one for their stats.
We do not have the entire story. Why people feel the need to tell the OP his recently assaulted friend is a liar I really don’t understand.
Because she hasn't given the full story?
No, people are saying that it seems quite likely that some details might have been left out and that evidence stronger than one drunk civilian’s word against four police officers would be needed if the complaint is to succeed. Evidence such as: the names/numbers of the officers; eyewitness accounts from strangers; bodycam footage; medical records detailing the injuries; etc. Without that, the complaint won’t go anywhere.
If all people were saying was, 'Without any corroborating evidence she is unlikely to get far' then that would be one thing. However, there have been many variations of this gem that pissed me off in the first place.
yer mates talking shite
We are talking about a potential assault victim here and to make matters there is no one she can complain to except the colleagues of the perpetrators.
She also has the problem that, as this thread shows, most people won't believe her.
What I find implausible is that the police have no idea which officers were on a given street at a given time. Even if they don't know exactly they must have a pretty short list of suspects to choose from.
What I find equally implausible is there's no public / private CCTV footage to corroborate (or disprove) her story.
You did….
Are you a bit slow or do you just not like reading? Here you go. Again.
I wrote a short story in which a police officer’s sense of judgement temporarily deserts him due to a combination of depression, inebriation, and the increasing workload the police have to deal with.
BruceWeee, that story you made up is really the biggest load of tosh ever. What relevance does it have to what actually happened!!!!
I'd just like to thank everyone who used my earlier mistake to lighten this thread before it went all STW on us 😄
most people won’t believe her.
If she can't come up with some corroborating evidence, you're right.
Are you a bit slow or do you just not like reading?
Pot <> Kettle
I wrote a short story in which a police officer’s sense of judgement temporarily deserts him due to a combination of depression, inebriation, and the increasing workload the police have to deal with.
The point being that you made up a story that bears no resemblance to the one the OP claims happened and one which I have already accepted that, had it been what happened, might have been the reason for the police response. Which is precisely why so many people on here do not think we have heard the full story. Yours is not the full story, it is a work of fiction.
BruceWeee, that story you made up is really the biggest load of tosh ever. What relevance does it have to what actually happened!!!!
Is there some sort of killfile that removes every other word a person writes because people seem to be what can charitably described as scanning what I'm writing. If you don't want to read what I write that's absolutely fine, you don't have to. Just maybe glance at it if you are going to respond to me directly.
From my previous post:
I wrote it because so many people on here seem to have trouble imagining a set of circumstances where what the OP described could happen.
because people seem to be what can charitably described as scanning what I’m writing
To be pedantic, I think you mean they are skimming, not scanning.