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Freedom of Speech, Scottish Style

Discussion in 'The Intelligence Cell' started by oldbaldy, Sep 20, 2007.

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oldbaldy Moderator Good Egg (charities)
1. Battlefield Tours
A RETIRED soldier who was questioned by riot police after complaining about a lord provost's lack of etiquette, has received an official apology.

Former guardsman Jake Reid was stunned to be interviewed by police officers after the provost took exception to being called an "embarrassment" in an e-mail.

The Scots Guards veteran who served on five tours of duty in Northern Ireland was visited by police and warned not to send any more e-mails to Dundee's lord provost, John Letford.

However, Mr Reid has now received an apology from chiefs at Tayside Police, who admitted "there was no basis" for their heavy-handed reaction to the e-mails and that their reaction was "inappropriate".

Colin Mackay, the deputy divisional commander, wrote to Mr Reid this week to confirm that "no action should have been taken by Tayside Police in respect of an e-mail which had been sent by you to Councillor Letford".

Superintendent Mackay wrote to Mr Reid: "I am happy to confirm that in the circumstances there was no basis for any police involvement or action against yourself.

"I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to you for any embarrassment caused to you as a result of police involvement in this matter."

Mr Reid had sent two e-mails to Lord Provost Letford after being outraged by Mr Letford's failure to properly address the Queen during a royal visit to the city. He headlined his e-mail "Dundee and Dignity", and wrote: "Sir, You are an embarrassment to Dundee, when will you resign?"

Days later, a riot squad arrived at his door and ordered him to stop sending e-mails to the provost.

Mr Reid, 56, said: "I e-mailed the lord provost as a citizen of his city after I was embarrassed at his handling of two recent events. There was the official re-opening of Baxter Park, which Her Majesty the Queen attended, and Provost Letford mumbled, 'I'll now ask the Queen to open the park'.

"He has no protocol, no awareness of how to be around dignitaries, and I was embarrassed. It was the same thing at a recent veteran's parade in Dundee."

When he failed to receive a reply, Mr Reid sent a second e-mail to Lord Provost Letford, quoting A Man's A Man For A' That.

But Mr Reid was shocked when riot police suddenly arrived at his home in Dundee.

He explained: "Out of the blue, there is a knock at my door and the police are standing there, complete with a riot police van. The cops asked me if I had sent two e-mails to the lord provost.

"I told them that I had and they told me not to send him any more e-mails. But I said, 'Don't tell me not to write to an elected official'.

"When he retires I will stop, but not before."

He added: "It was a complete waste of police time and resources. The whole thing was a disgrace but I am glad to receive an apology over the incident."
Click to expand...

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1504462007

Is no one allowed to speak against Liarbor politicians in this bloody country?

oldbaldy, Sep 20, 2007

#1
whiffler

So where is the Scotsman's investigation into how the Police visit came to pass?. Do all critical emails to such officials result in such action?. Who within the Police establishment set this visit up?.

whiffler, Sep 20, 2007

#2
xmal

What lies (if any) did the Lord Provost tell to police to get such a reaction?

xmal, Sep 20, 2007

#3
halo_jones

One would hope the lord provost is now explaining to the chief constable exactly why he has wasted police time ...............

halo_jones, Sep 20, 2007

#4
here_be_mike

the police are standing there, complete with a riot police van
Click to expand...

So was it actually riot police, or did the journo get over ambitious in his writing of two bobbies on the beat driving a van that day?

here_be_mike, Sep 20, 2007

#5
Ord_Sgt RIP

It rather highlights the dislocation of what the police are there for and what they think they are there for. How could nobody see that this crossed the line until now? Are all police stupid?

Ord_Sgt, Sep 20, 2007

#6
Jaeger

No doubt the Lord Provost made a complaint of "harassment" citing these 2 e-mails as a "course of conduct" and then some utter c*ck in the local constabulary created a crime report and the nearest available
bobbies were tasked to pop round and give him a warning about it. You might find that the c*ck in question is a civilian employee with no judgement, common sense or knowledge of the law.

I'm assuming of course that the law in Scotland relating to harassment is similar to that in England and Wales?

Jaeger, Sep 20, 2007

#7
TartanJock

I hope they will now charge the Provost with wasting police time.So much for our freedoms of speech.

TartanJock, Sep 20, 2007

#8
rickshaw-major

Jaeger said:

No doubt the Lord Provost made a complaint of "harassment" citing these 2 e-mails as a "course of conduct" and then some utter c*ck in the local constabulary created a crime report and the nearest available
bobbies were tasked to pop round and give him a warning about it. You might find that the c*ck in question is a civilian employee with no judgement, common sense or knowledge of the law.

I'm assuming of course that the law in Scotland relating to harassment is similar to that in England and Wales?
Click to expand...

And they haven't got the brains to say "What the feck is this all about?" Instead of teaching the Plod about every "ism" under the Sun what about a crash course in common sense

This elected official needs to be unelected quickly.

rickshaw-major, Sep 20, 2007

#9
rickshaw-major

here_be_mike said:

the police are standing there, complete with a riot police van
Click to expand...

So was it actually riot police, or did the journo get over ambitious in his writing of two bobbies on the beat driving a van that day?
Click to expand...

Interesting as it was the ex-Guardsman they quoted and he would recognise a Riot Van.

rickshaw-major, Sep 20, 2007

#10
maxi_77

rickshaw-major said:

here_be_mike said:

the police are standing there, complete with a riot police van
Click to expand...

So was it actually riot police, or did the journo get over ambitious in his writing of two bobbies on the beat driving a van that day?
Click to expand...

Interesting as it was the ex-Guardsman they quoted and he would recognise a Riot Van.
Click to expand...

Yes I would expect an ex guardsman to recognise a riot van, equally I woul expect the average journo to 'sex up' the piece if possible. Did the ex guardsman get to proof read the copy, I think not.

maxi_77, Sep 20, 2007

#11
Bouillabaisse Book Reviewer

It doesn't matter whether it was the entire Tayside Constabulary in Challengers or a single bobby on a bike. The point is that they went at all.

Bouillabaisse, Sep 20, 2007

#12
whiffler

Bouillabaisse said:

It doesn't matter whether it was the entire Tayside Constabulary in Challengers or a single bobby on a bike. The point is that they went at all.
Click to expand...

..... or even that the Constabulary were approached at all. I look forward to those in Dundee chasing this one - a very strange story indeed.

Even if the chaps emails were construed as abusive a reply might have been sent saying so. Not the police.

whiffler, Sep 20, 2007

#13
pcar964

Maybe someone would like to pay the esteemed councilor a visit and ask WTF he's playing at?

John Letford
40 Invercraig Place, Dundee
Home Tel: 621291
Business Tel: 434216
Email: john.letford@dundeecity.gov.uk

pcar964, Sep 20, 2007

#14
whiffler

Anything further on this in the local rag(s) ?.

whiffler, Sep 23, 2007

#15

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