Bored cops bully kids

[4F]

Speculation scenario no: 2

Excitable teens mucking around either high on alcohol or weed making lots of noise knock over a bookcase because one of them thought it would be a good idea to try and climb it and in the process knocks one of them unconscious.
Bookcase falls over making a hell of a noise and a concerned neighbour phones the police as there is not normally that much noise coming from this house and they noted that the parents left earlier that evening.

Kids concoct what they feel is a plausible story to tell their parents to try and explain the bookcase incident as they cannot think of a way it can be attributed to a game of scrabble or naked twister

 

[User169]

Good grief. A lot of hostility towards young people here!

 

[4F]

Good grief. A lot of hostility towards young people here!

I wouldn't say so, more so that most can remember what they were like at that age.

 

[User169]

I wouldn't say so, more so that most can remember what they were like at that age.

Well I remember my first encounter with the police as a young person - assault, false arrest followed by a period of harassment. Something of an eye-opener.

 

[mythste]

Good kids sometimes go to bad parties. It happens.

I miss the days.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Sounds like a shoot party to me - I'd have been too off my tits at that age to notice the rozzers coming in.

 

[Arrowfoot]

In my experience of the Police dealing with 15/16/17 year olds there is a tendency to bully them, to get them to accept a caution for the most flimsy of evidence and one word against another. In one of the instances I had when my lad was growing up, he was being forced to accept a caution for assault, the actual charge was one lad had said he pushed passed him, the other boy's mum had caused a stink, there was no witness, no injuries just one boy's word against another. I actually had the office try and convince me that he should just accept it because it could go much worse for him in court! I'm assuming that the CPS just laughed it out of their office. I've explained to quite a few beat bobbies that accepting a caution can harm a child's ability to get a visa, for example to the USA. But it looks good on their crime clean up stats.

So yes, the police do bully children, it happens a lot more than you realise. I've had a few other parents mention how they allowed their child to be cautioned because they were told they had to!

I don't get the bullying part. Surely a young kid would have been interviewed in the presence of a parent and the suggestion of a caution would also be made in front of a parent. The Police would also have to act to address the complaint. I would think a good or bad cop got better things to do and worry about a spat between 2 kids let alone crime statistics. I am not even sure they record a push between 2 kids a crime in their stats list.

 

[CopperCyclist]

I don't get the bullying part. Surely a young kid would have been interviewed in the presence of a parent and the suggestion of a caution would also be made in front of a parent. The Police would also have to act to address the complaint. I would think a good or bad cop got better things to do and worry about a spat between 2 kids let alone crime statistics. I am not even sure they record a push between 2 kids a crime in their stats list.

Depends when it happened. Over ten years ago - the bean counters would have been all over that demanding a detection of any sort (caution being the easy option). Today, it would probably be filed with nothing happening - a word to the parents at most.

The only thing that is confusing is that a caution should never have been allowed unless the offender gives a full admission in interview. If the posters son denied it, and there was no more evidence, that should have been the end of the matter.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Speculation scenario no: 2

Excitable teens mucking around either high on alcohol or weed making lots of noise knock over a bookcase because one of them thought it would be a good idea to try and climb it and in the process knocks one of them unconscious.
Bookcase falls over making a hell of a noise and a concerned neighbour phones the police as there is not normally that much noise coming from this house and they noted that the parents left earlier that evening.

Kids concoct what they feel is a plausible story to tell their parents to try and explain the bookcase incident as they cannot think of a way it can be attributed to a game of scrabble or naked twister

More like something of great value was damaged during the fall of the bookshelf. Out of panic they tied in the cops who probably came over to warn them to tone down. The assignment was probably given to the van full of cops who were closest and all 7 appeared at the door to have a peek. When kids panic their imagination kick in big time. No harm done.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Depends when it happened. Over ten years ago - the bean counters would have been all over that demanding a detection of any sort (caution being the day option). Today, it would probably be filed with nothing happening - a word to the parents at most.

The only thing that is confusing is that a caution should never have been allowed unless the offender gives a full admission in interview. If the posters son denied it, and there was no more evidence, that should have been the end of the matter.

Thanks CC, makes sense.

 

[cd365]

I don't get the bullying part. Surely a young kid would have been interviewed in the presence of a parent and the suggestion of a caution would also be made in front of a parent. The Police would also have to act to address the complaint. I would think a good or bad cop got better things to do and worry about a spat between 2 kids let alone crime statistics. I am not even sure they record a push between 2 kids a crime in their stats list.

My son was interviewed in front of me, the office was trying to intimidate my son into admitting the other boy's story and then afterwards tried to intimidate me to get him to agree to a caution. If you don't think a policeman in uniform trying to intimidate a child is not bullying then that is your choice. I've heard lots of tales where the parents just accept it "to get it over with". The police do worry about a spat between kids! This was going to go down as assault and would have made their stats as a crime clear up.

Depends when it happened. Over ten years ago - the bean counters would have been all over that demanding a detection of any sort (caution being the day option). Today, it would probably be filed with nothing happening - a word to the parents at most.

The only thing that is confusing is that a caution should never have been allowed unless the offender gives a full admission in interview. If the posters son denied it, and there was no more evidence, that should have been the end of the matter.

It was 8 years ago this particular example. Yes, it should have been the end of the matter in my opinion as well.
What they did was arrest my son, put him in a cell, get hold of me and interview him with me there. He denied it, they kept trying in different ways to get him to admit it. It was a complete farce. Afterwards, I was outside on the phone, the officer came out and tried to convince me it would be better and easier if he accepted the caution, I had to explain to him that he said he didn't do it so why would he accept a caution.

 

[CopperCyclist]

It was 8 years ago this particular example. Yes, it should have been the end of the matter in my opinion as well.
What they did was arrest my son, put him in a cell, get hold of me and interview him with me there. He denied it, they kept trying in different ways to get him to admit it. It was a complete farce. Afterwards, I was outside on the phone, the officer came out and tried to convince me it would be better and easier if he accepted the caution, I had to explain to him that he said he didn't do it so why would he accept a caution.

Yes, very bad then. Once interviewed on tape and he denied it, that should have been it. He was clearly desperate for the detection, which is all sorts of wrong. Even if he had got you to say "ok then", once that had been viewed by the forces crime manager, the detection would have been refused and he would have them been faced with the lengthy and embarrassing process of getting that caution officially rescinded. Well done for standing your ground.

 

[Arrowfoot]

My son was interviewed in front of me, the office was trying to intimidate my son into admitting the other boy's story and then afterwards tried to intimidate me to get him to agree to a caution. If you don't think a policeman in uniform trying to intimidate a child is not bullying then that is your choice. I've heard lots of tales where the parents just accept it "to get it over with". The police do worry about a spat between kids! This was going to go down as assault and would have made their stats as a crime clear up.

It was 8 years ago this particular example. Yes, it should have been the end of the matter in my opinion as well.
What they did was arrest my son, put him in a cell, get hold of me and interview him with me there. He denied it, they kept trying in different ways to get him to admit it. It was a complete farce. Afterwards, I was outside on the phone, the officer came out and tried to convince me it would be better and easier if he accepted the caution, I had to explain to him that he said he didn't do it so why would he accept a caution.

Yep, all the elements of bullying. Good thing you stood firm.

 

[cd365]

Yes, very bad then. Once interviewed on tape and he denied it, that should have been it. He was clearly desperate for the detection, which is all sorts of wrong. Even if he had got you to say "ok then", once that had been viewed by the forces crime manager, the detection would have been refused and he would have them been faced with the lengthy and embarrassing process of getting that caution officially rescinded. Well done for standing your ground.

I think most police officers do a very, very good job, often in very difficult circumstances.