The 'Blame Culture' we live in

Originally Posted by arc123

Ed - if a police officer loses their job, it will be because the IPCC deemed them to have failed the public they are there to serve.

Yes, true, I accept this. My gripe is that the family should have complained in the first place. There was a follow up on this, that the coroner has written to the police and to the social services. There was a hint that the poor woman had mental problems. All the more reason for family to check up, I'd have thought.

[Biker Biggles]

arc123----You dont work for the IPCC do you?
You seem to have tremendous faith in their ability to determine right and wrong.Now I struggle to recall who elects or scrutinises the IPCC-----

[arc123]

arc123----You dont work for the IPCC do you?
You seem to have tremendous faith in their ability to determine right and wrong.Now I struggle to recall who elects or scrutinises the IPCC-----

No don't work for the IPCC.

Sure you aren't struggling to recall.... but anyway, the chair and the commissioners are appointed by the Home Secretary. So what point are you trying to make by linking the IPCC to the government?

[Biker Biggles]

Simply that the IPCC is nothing more or less than yet another quasi judicial government quango whose conclusions should be taken with the same pinch of salt one would use for any other similar body.
I assume the "Independant" bit of it's title means from the police,but I would not regard it as independant from other influences.I always question the motives of these bodies (not just the IPCC)and hence their conclusions.

I dont see how the police can take the blame for this, we dont live in a state were some big brother authority knows where everyone lives, not yet anyway. Why would the officers think there was anything amis when they are told she had moved. I presume they had already had knocked the door and taken a peek thru' the window.

I hope the family don't benefit from any compensation claim, and I do hope Burgular Bill has nightmares.

So one one hand we have elements in modern society screaming bloody murder about "big brother" watching us and demanding more rights to our privacy... And on the other we have a poor woman laying dead in her home for three years and the family screaming about how disgraceful it is that no-one was checking up on her...

Personally I don't know how they can have the bare-faced audacity to try and blame the police. If they cared that much about her then where the bloody hell were they for the past three years?

I only hope she passed away peacefully and is now at rest.

[arc123]

Simply that the IPCC is nothing more or less than yet another quasi judicial government quango whose conclusions should be taken with the same pinch of salt one would use for any other similar body.

I gathered that you were insinuating this, and to an extent I agree, nothing is ever entirely 'independant'. However on this occassion where the 'biased towards other Home Office organisiations' IPCC rule against 'another Home Office' organisiation - the point you were making is somewhat clouded.....?

[Biker Biggles]

Yes,but in this case and others of a similar nature the blame can probably be safely passed down the line to the junior fall guy(the copper who believed the neighbour)so no Home Office organisation will be in much danger.Thus we get back to EDs scenario where the copper takes the blame for just doing his job like most coppers would and the absent family get placated and maybe a few quid as well.Easy way out all round unless you happen to be one of the true salt of the earth types who actually work at the sharp end.Then you find you are just expendable scum when things get hard,and all the armchair experts pronounce their judgements.

[arc123]

but in this case and others of a similar nature the blame can probably be safely passed down the line to the junior fall guy(the copper who believed the neighbour)so no Home Office organisation will be in much danger.

or alternativley - they could have said there was no case to answer if there was no case to answer?

and all the armchair experts pronounce their judgements.

if that was aimed at me then I have not passed judgement at all. although the same cannot be said about yourself - however, you're obviously not an 'arm chair expert' (far superior to that). You don't work for the police do you?

[Biker Biggles]

It wasn't aimed at you.I had asked you if you worked for the IPCC and you said no.I dont know what you do but you do seem to be a bit touchy on this
I dont work for the police.
What I do have is twenty years experience of the blame game in the public services and how that has developed policy wise in the last decade.That was what I meant by armchair experts sitting in judgement on real workers who do the job daily in the most difficult of circumstances.