sectarianism in Merseyside police

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Thursday November 06, 2003 11:13 by karen clark stapleton - MSC criminal justice researcher karen622207855 at aol dot com

Police mounted section religious bigotry or just plain ignorance

Religion and Sectarianism in the Police, merely tradition or a continuum of misplaced bigotry?


In a plea to Parliament to reform the laws before it was too late, William Cole in 1659 argued that "The major part of the laws made in this nation are founded on principles of tyranny, fallacy and oppression for the benefit of those that made them" (Hill 1996, p 267). It is of course true that Parliament has been responsible for many major strides towards the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. Thus it is possible, looking back at our history, to identify a number of groups who have been either unpopular or disregarded and whose rights and freedoms have as a result been of little or no Parliamentary interest: Jews, Roman Catholics, dissenters; vagrants, vagabonds, beggars, gypsies; married women; children; prisoners; mental patients and the disabled; immigrants of various kinds, asylum seekers, aliens; homosexuals; strikers; single mothers; paedophiles. Protection of human rights in this country has depended, to a very large extent, on common protection, the ordinary law of the land, which has not formulated a list of rights and freedoms, which may not be infringed. Rather, it has proscribed certain forms of conduct as unlawful, leaving the citizen free to do anything, which is not so proscribed. Such as freedoms to practice his or her religious beliefs without fear of attack, yet, within the police mounted section at one force, a tradition which is allowed to continue is that of sectarianism within the changing areas of police officers. One side of the room is set aside for Catholics or as they put it ‘knights of St Columbus’, and the other for Protestants, and it is made very clear to which side you shall change. Rosters are set with two officers from each side working on different days i.e., two Catholics, clean one day two protestants on alternate days, how can this be allowed to continue and what does it say for any modern day police force, the laws of equality and the employment practices that they indeed should apply effectively. Now when a question was posed to the Police Mounted Section over this issue they said “oh don’t worry about it, we all get on but you’ve gotta know which side your on, we all meet up at the match so it balances out, its just always been like that” The law has been slow and hesitant in recognising a tort of harassment and it is salutary to remind oneself what your basic human rights are: in short, the right to life; freedom from torture or inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; freedom from slavery, servitude or forced or compulsory labour; the right to liberty and security of the person; the right to a fair trial; freedom from prosecution and punishment for offences not criminal at the time when they were done; the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of expression; freedom of assembly and association; the right to marry and found a family; the right to an effective remedy; and the prohibition of discrimination in the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Convention. Yet clearly many police forces have been breaching these regulatory rules with impunity. What concerns me is the thought that if you belong to neither of these religious groups were do you get changed…in the toilets? This is bigotry at its best and shows the contempt this and indeed many forces have for law and order, for basic human rights and this confirms the public perception that the police continue to act above the law as and when it suits them. If this is how they treat their own officers then what hope is there for how they treat or mistreat members of the public and to what lengths will they indeed go to ensure there traditions continue whether good or bad?
On a similar notion is that of the continuation of sectarian groups that are permitted to infiltrate and flourish in an allegedly modern day police service that encourage religious hatred and sectarianism such as the Masons and The Knights of St Columbus,the Gay and Lesbian police Association, etc and many more. How can they be permitted to encourage membership when the very notion of equality is exactly which they do not stand for, some may even argue that the several societies that have opened up within this modern police service actually encourage secrecy, actually encourage inequality and bigotry. Surely a modern police service should not find it necessary to separate colour, religious belief or indeed sexual orientation, they should not find it necessary to promote on the grounds of anything other than merit. Furthermore the Home Office should not have permitted such a move, as it showed that the police service is not and never will be free from oppression of many differening minority groups. One must also consider that when an officer is facing allegations even of a trivial nature then there is always the question that will his or her fellow combatants from the same group assist in order to establish legitimacy for that particular association, It does happen and it will continue to happen so long as we continue to promote individualism within the police service. Lets look at it in another way… If a police constable was to admit to being a member of any fringe fascist association, would they be given the same credence as a member who is lets say…. a Mason, hardly, yet this goes against the fundamental principal of equality as all groups believe in the promotion of values they admire. If we are to fully modernise the police service we must allow all members of the service the same fundamental rights to join any association of their choosing providing the association is legal and as far as I am aware the many other similar groups are. If a police officer is not permitted to be a canvassing member of any political group then how can they justify them being a member of any group or association that meets in secrecy, that only actively allows membership from one religious order or one racial group? We do not have a whites only or English only Police Federation or association so why is it necessary to have a black and Asian police association, as this in reality does not encourage equality it discourages it on the basis of it permitting a fundamentally flawed participation in the police service as a whole. If as Police Officers they arrest members of the public for simply activating their freedom of speech in one particular area then how can they justify doing exactly the same but in a police uniform with the full consent of both their Chief Constable and the Police Authority, but ultimately with consent of Parliament through the Home Office. If the police service is to modernise it must begin with facing up to the reality that they are still locked in an antiquated past that does not allow for a wholesome environment whether that be in practice or theory. When one member of the old Labour Party referred to them as a necessary evil in society, that was not reflecting that they are evil , merely they are necessary as opposed to the fact that in a totally free society a police force would not be required. If they are to regain wholesome values within the service that promotes democratic values they must start with the flawed ethics that is continually allowed to permeate at the very heart of the service. Modernity requires forward thinking not backward shuffles !

Based on a facts from a once serving Merseyside Police Officer.
K Clark Stapleton.