Currently, the prime-time slot on BBC 1 on Mondays is occupied by The Met Policing London, a five part series on the police force that faces the task of keeping order in the UK’s capital. In words of the Metropolitan Police taken directly from their website, “The Met has opened its door to the BBC to give the public an unprecedented inside view of the complexities and challenges faced by the UK’s largest force”. It is similar to many police documentaries aired in recent years such as Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody. This latest series allows us to witness aspects of the Met’s day-to-day policing, through both their responses to incidents and the preventative measures taken to tackle crime.
From the start it is clear that the programme is politically driven; anyone who watches a documentary about the police aired on the BBC who thinks it won’t be is in for a shock. However, in light of recent public / media scandals relating to police forces across the UK, if this programme is an appeal for public support it is clear to see how, for many, it is fighting a losing battle. There’s a notable irony to the fact that it aired just after a Panorama programme highlighting the injustices done to the victims of sexual abuse in Rotherham, and the subsequent failings of the South Yorkshire Police. Admittedly these two programmes cover different police forces in different locations, but it is evident that public support for the UK’s multiple police force’s is at an discernible low.
This series has covered some extremely contentious issues so far, with last week’s episode covering the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, which was seen by many as one of the triggers of the London riots of 2011. I imagine the Met would argue that the series is not politically biased, in that covering such topics does not bathe them in a particularly good light. It most certainly does not, but in response to this we are fed this police agenda of equality and anti-racism jargon. The Met, it is shown, are trying to combat their negative, racist image. This despite the police speaker panel not fully answering questions at a community debate in Tottenham, which was organised in response to the Mark Duggan inquest, in which the jury ruled that he was lawfully killed. The hostility of the community members towards the police is clear from the outset.
The crimes tackled in the series so far have varied from knife possession, to sexual assault and finally to murder. Very real crimes which affect the UK, and which the police face the battle of combating. But don’t worry, this series paints an idyllic picture of crimes solved and bad guys put away. The BBC attempts to balance this out by showing some officers swearing – the ‘F’ word can be heard on a couple of occasions – look, British public, they’re real people too! Also, in one instance a man at the Notting Hill Carnival tells the camera that the police will turn a blind eye to carnival goers smoking cannabis – how very noble of them.
The programme is most interesting when, on occasion, the Met let their guard down (or perhaps it slipped through the BBC’s editing). For example, there is some bizarre preventative policing done in the first episode, where the police suggest that they’re arresting individuals for petty crimes, in a bid to stop them committing more serious crimes later. Yet at Brixton Splash later on in the episode they then turn a blind eye to petty crime in order to concentrate on more serious crimes which may be committed. I’m sure this was all planned with good reason by the Met, and that some kind of strategic plan was likely drawn up, but it does send the message that the treatment of committing petty crime depends on the time and location. You could be clamped down on one minute, and a have a blind eye turned the next.
I don’t doubt that the police really are trying to combat their negative image, which has been heightened in recent years. This will, of course, take time as their reputation is still tarnished from the Steven Lawrence murder case in 1993. I also don’t doubt that the police are trying their utmost to keep London’s (and the rest of the UK’s) streets safe. The programme does highlight the vital work that the police officers endure on a daily basis. That said, I just wish the BBC and the Metropolitan Police service would stop insulting the British population’s intelligence by filling our screens with this all-singing-all-dancing shiny Metropolitan façade.
A message, then, to the BBC and or the Metropolitan Police Service, please stop patronising the British public, it will take far more than five one-hour programmes to fix the police’s public image. Or perhaps the next three episodes will prove me wrong, and the best is yet to come. I’m doubtful.
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