{"id":2757,"date":"2020-06-04T07:30:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T07:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policecommissioner.net\/what-is-happening-in-the-worlds-greatest-democracy\/"},"modified":"2020-06-04T07:30:21","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T07:30:21","slug":"what-is-happening-in-the-worlds-greatest-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/policecommissioner.net\/what-is-happening-in-the-worlds-greatest-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"What is happening in the world\u2019s \u2018greatest democracy\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

To meet this newspaper\u2019s<\/a> print deadlines * , I am required to submit copy for this column by the Tuesday before publication at the latest. I leave the subject as late as possible to make it topical and stick to local issues to make it relevant.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was about to submit this week\u2019s offering when the latest pictures of the riots in America<\/a> following the death of George Floyd<\/a> appeared on TV. It was easy to see why it was the first story, other than the daily update on coronavirus, to lead our national news bulletins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

George Floyd\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

What we have witnessed has been truly shocking \u2013 and before I continue, I accept that, so far, we have only seen what the broadcasters choose to show us. <\/span><\/p>\n

Due process must take its course and only then will we get the full picture. <\/span><\/p>\n

That said, it appears very difficult to defend either events that lit the fuse or the authorities\u2019 response to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Why would a police officer do that!?!<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s take the incident first. What possessed the officer to kneel on the neck of an alleged offender for eight minutes as has been reported? <\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from the action itself, he must have known he was being filmed. <\/span><\/p>\n

He even appears to be engaging with the camera. <\/span><\/p>\n

But what really disturbed me were the pleas of the victim begging to be released because he couldn\u2019t breathe; crying for his mother fearing he was about to die.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\\\"\\\"<\/p>\n

Anger on the streets<\/h3>\n

Sadly, the response from both sides, has been as violent as it was predictable.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no defence for looting and other forms of lawlessness that pass for protest.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is a familiar cycle and in a country where citizens have a legal right to own and carry assault weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\\\"\\\"Is there any surprise the police response would be aggressive? <\/span><\/p>\n

The images of heavily armed National Guardsmen throwing a ring of steel around the White House were alarming.<\/span><\/p>\n

America may be the World\u2019s greatest democracy yet these are recurring scenes that suggest it continues to struggle to purge itself of allegations of racism<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Would the police officer have acted the same had George Floyd been white?<\/span><\/p>\n

That is the troubling question that goes to the heart of this.<\/p>\n

Let\\’s not follow America\\’s lead<\/h3>\n

It is said that what starts in America comes to the UK eventually. Fine for fashion and the arts, but here, <\/span>where we police by consent, we must all strive together to ensure this is one trend that never takes hold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

*The above is a blog written by Gloucestershire\\’s Police & Crime Commissioner for the Gloucester Citizen & Gloucestershire Echo newspapers printed on 4\/6\/2020.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To meet this newspaper\u2019s print deadlines * , I am required to submit copy for this column by the Tuesday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[102,103,104,23,25,10,105,106],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is happening in the world\u2019s \u2018greatest democracy\u2019? 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