We’ve got a domestic, a celebrity and a woman bingo!
A new report on violence against women & girls figures showed 1,500 police officers have been accused of violence against women ‘concerning and disturbing’, deputy chief constable says: https://tinyurl.com/y6zbrumt
For greater detail on this report: https://tinyurl.com/n98zueyp
Did the IOPC look at the records of the police officers involved in arresting and charging Caroline Flack? Have they ever been accused of sexism, sexual harassment, sexual assault, or domestic violence? All of these offences are about power; what could give those, with these issues, more satisfaction than arresting a woman, a celebrity, for domestic violence and charging her? I know the senior officer was a woman but that wouldn’t necessarily mean a sensible outcome. One of the worst misogynists I ever met was a woman – she couldn’t even stand to be alone in a room with another woman.
Police apologise to Caroline Flack’s family over record of CPS decision BBC 13th February Rachel Russell Caroline Flack, “was due to appear in court over the alleged assault of her then-boyfriend Lewis Burton in the weeks before her death in 2020.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had recommended she receive only a caution.
However, London’s Met Police appealed against the CPS decision which resulted in her facing a charge of assault by beating.
An inquest later gave a conclusion of suicide after hearing how Ms Flack’s mental health had deteriorated following her arrest.
Her mother Christine Flack complained about the decision to charge her, claiming her daughter had been treated differently because of her fame but a senior police officer told the inquest there was no bias involved.
A Met Police spokesperson told BBC News in a statement on Sunday: ‘The review did not identify any misconduct but concluded that an officer should receive reflective practice. This was about the requirement to review all case material and record a balanced rationale, demonstrating objective decision making by exploring aggravating and mitigating factors, when appealing a CPS decision.
‘The IOPC also asked the Met to apologise to Ms Flack’s family about there not being a record of the rationale to appeal the CPS decision.‘ Surely this should mean that the police officers involved are at least guilty by omission. Sorry we can’t give you the rationale for the decision we made that drove Caroline to take her own life?!
‘We have done so (apologised to Ms Flack’s family about there being no record of rationale to appeal CPS decision) and acknowledged the impact that this has had on them.’
‘We wait to hear whether the IOPC will make any recommendations for organisational learning.
Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Ms Flack’s family for their loss.’
Following the apology from the Met Police, Ms Flack’s mother (Christine) told the Eastern Daily Press: ‘They have apologised for how they handled my complaint – but what they really should be apologising for is the way Carrie was treated.‘
The Eastern Daily Press also reported the Met’s Chief Superintendent Andy Carter had told her that several measures that have been brought in to improve how officers go about appealing CPS decisions.”
I think this all looks dodgy – what questions did the IOPC ask the police officers involved and were their records checked? I know police make mistakes – it’s a stressful job and nobody is perfect however the IOPC’s decision isn’t transparent.
It’s horrifying when you think about the extent to which bias in the police could affect how they do the job. Remember also; it’s no accident that Wayne Couzens and David Carrick became police officers; further, they both joined specialist firearms units (the macho end of policing). Of course, these two men represent the extremes. Nevertheless, policing is a very attractive career to abusive personalities combining the two things they most want: status and power. How exactly do police recruiting procedures weed out such personalities?
Caroline Flack’s last social media post – she was advised not to post. However her family after her death want the post sent out from a media outlet they trusted, Eastern Daily Press 19th Feb 2020:
Caroline wrote “..my whole world and future was swept from under my feet” and how she had lost her career and her home…
She said she “took responsibility for what happened that night” but said it had been an accident and she “was NOT a domestic abuser”
Newsnight interview with Christine Flack: https://tinyurl.com/4zx94br4
#CarolineFlack #PoliceBias
