A double nightmare event at the Raj Proot Restaurant in East Sussex when the restaurant owner stopped youths raiding his beer cellar and was then arrested, fingerprinted, photographed and had his DNA taken.
Nightmare 1: to be arrested for stopping thieves.
Nightmare 2: to have your fingerprints, photo and DNA sample taken for doing what should be your duty.
Apparently one of the youth’s said he’d been struck by the owner. Sounds a good thing to say knowing it could deflect your blame. In a fight to escape you’d expect some interaction and it was reported in one paper their friends were kicking the locked front door while diners were cowering inside. Taking in the owner and doing a full police record on him seems wrong though. You’d think if you’d stopped thieves the police would be your friend and petty comment from the offenders would be brushed aside.
I’ve sometimes imagined I’d refuse to give my DNA sample but it’s Catch 22 as you are then arrested for not doing it and they are then entitled to take it. How long will the DNA record be kept. In Scotland it would be destroyed but in England it might be kept for years. Such an intrusion on your liberty.
There are those who use the phrase Broken Britain and until recently I’ve thought it a bit exaggerated. Yet in the last few weeks we’ve had a couple of deaths caused by youths terrorising disabled people in their homes over long periods of time and no-one responding to calls for help. Not to mention a Sikh killed by 4 youths in his shop and the burgled householder being put in prison. It’s just come to mind that 3 of these events happened with different ethnic members of the public, if that’s at all relevant.
Another feature of these incidents appears to be the involvement, or lack of involvement of the police who I’ve always held in high regard. Yet they seem to be arresting innocent members of the public and ignoring calls for help. Just what is going on?
Something seems to be broken. Perhaps it’s fundamental. The law is offering too much protection to the law breakers. Yet some would say that they are being harassed by the police because of their colour or dress. To protect these cases it appears the whole of British law is losing the respect of the general population. Yet, if only it was that simple. Some talk of too much police paperwork although the government say they’re sorting that and so the story goes on. And on.