A quote variously attributed (or maybe mis-attributed) to
both George Orwell and Winston Churchill tells us that: “Men sleep peacefully
in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their
behalf.” The message is brutally clear; society and we as individuals can only
be kept safe because of the actions by people in power – the police, the
military, MI5/MI6, etc – and these actions are both necessary and not to be
enquired into too closely for they are almost certainly illegal.
I’ve often accepted the quote and its implications as an
unfortunate but sadly necessary aspect of the real world as it is:
“realpolitik” in its most brutal form. In times of war or when acts of
terrorism prevail it can, I suppose, be justified as being for the greater good;
actions sometimes have to be taken which we would not normally sanction or
approve of. It is the logic and the moral standpoint that “justified” the
waterboarding and other extreme punishments (or to use the correct word
“tortures”) in places like Guantanamo Bay.
And then I read this article (Met apologises to woman for ‘sexist, derogatory’ language in strip-search | Metropolitan police | The Guardian ) and my view shifts somewhat.
It no longer seems so clear cut for in reading the article I am reminded that one
or two other considerations appear which, for me at least, are unsettling.
To start with let me make my position clear. Having read the
article and done a little bit of research I do not know whether the strip
searching of this young academic, Dr Duff, was justified. Maybe she was
unreasonably unhelpful. Maybe the police were properly operating within their
remit, maybe they had very genuine concerns which, in their view, prompted and
perhaps even justified their actions. Maybe there were other factors which this
article does not make clear. Lots of unknowns.
What is not unknown, however, for it was recorded, are some
of the things that were said by the police officers concerned as they carried
out their strip search:
“What’s that smell? Oh, it’s her
knickers,”….“Is she rank?... her clothes stink”….“Didn’t find anything
untoward on her, ladies?”…….“A lot of hair,” one of the female officers
replies. The others laugh….“Ugh, I feel
disgusting; I’m going to need a shower”….“You need fumigating.”
Maybe many might find these sexist and grossly derogatory comments
humorous or even justifiable in the given situation. I’m sure that many will
simply suggest that “she got what you asked for”. Well, maybe. Maybe this is Orwell’s alleged comment made
real in all its brutality – comments planned and intended to demean, degrade
and “break” someone in custody.
Mmmmmm?
But I’m wondering what sort of person would feel it
appropriate to utter these words whatever the justification? Do they not see
that in doing so they are demeaning themselves in treating another human being
so? Are they not embarrassed by what they said? If these words are justified by
the rules and regulations under which our police operate in these circumstances,
then we are all culpable in allowing them to be so. Given the Met’s apology and
payment of compensation one can only assume that the words and phrases were not
appropriate or justified. That leaves only one option – they were the language
and everyday responses of the very people who are supposed to uphold our
society’s fabric and protect the individual from attack and harm – be it
physical, verbal or mental. I cringed, embarrassed when I read them – am I
unusual, naïve in not being able to laugh as the police did. Maybe I’ve led too
sheltered a life, maybe I should ”get out more” – well, maybe, but deep down
something tells me this is not acceptable in our society – ever.
Sadly, I don’t believe that these officers switch on to
“interview and strip search mode” and leave these darker aspects of their
personality outside the police station. This is the real them. These are the
jokes and one liners that make up much of their day to day conversation. One
only has to sit in a pub for a few minutes, walk through a town centre, skim
through the comments on Face Book or other social media platforms, watch many
of the foul mouthed “comedians” on our TVs or listen to the crowd at a football
match to know that foul, abusive, and derogatory language is part and parcel of
everyday life for many. And, of course, in being so, those who use it as part
of their everyday communication display the real “them”. It is not a pretty sight nor is it something we should ever seek to justify or explain away.
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