Freedom of Speech, Scottish Style

[oldbaldy]

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."

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

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

 

[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?.

 

[xmal]

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

 

[halo_jones]

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

 

[here_be_mike]

the police are standing there, complete with a riot police van

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?

 

[Ord_Sgt]

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?

 

[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?

 

[TartanJock]

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

 

[rickshaw-major]

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?

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]

the police are standing there, complete with a riot police van

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?

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

 

[maxi_77]

the police are standing there, complete with a riot police van

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?

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

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.

 

[Bouillabaisse]

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.

 

[whiffler]

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.

..... 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.

 

[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

 

[whiffler]

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

 

[BuckFelize]

Perhaps the Lord Provost's complaint was PERCEIVED by the control centre mong to be of a racially motivated nature and thus the forces of the law were dispatched en masse to deal with the criminal? Who knows? Anything's possible these days.

'Good morning, PC Bloggs,' says the Assignment Officer, cheerfully. 'I have a lovely racist incident for you today.'

Race-hate crime is a serious business. The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry defined a racist incident as 'any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person'. This definition has now been adopted by all police forces.

This is good because, while we police officers love to do the extra paperwork brought on by a racist incident, we are not always very good at identifying them, and we have to be helped out.

For example, the control-room operator. It may appear he is just a civilian sitting in a room 48 miles from where an incident took place, but in fact he is capable of sensing racism through the phone line.

Today I'm visiting Indira Patel, who was racially abused a week ago. 'To be honest, I'm surprised you came,' she says as I arrive. It seems some youths damaged a glass panel on her door.

She says it happens to all the flats on the end of rows in her block because that is where kids hang around smoking cannabis.

I shuffle some papers. 'It says something about racist abuse here.' She looks amazed. 'Goodness, no. I must say, the call-taker did keep asking me if it was a racist incident. I thought it was odd.'

Perplexed, I go back to the station. The Crime Management System tells me Mrs Patel's damaged door has indeed been listed as a racist incident.

I email the Scrutineer, requesting a reclassification to criminal damage, and a removal of the reference to racism. The Scrutineer rings me. 'About this racist incident. We can't just reclassify it. How do you know it wasn't racist?'

'The victim doesn't think it was.'

'Well, how does she know it wasn't?'

'Um . . . well, how do you know it was?'

There's a silence then she replies: 'I will change it to a criminal damage, but unless you can provide verifiable evidence it was not racist, the classification has to stand.'

I begin to doubt my sanity. 'How did it become a racist incident in the first place? The victim doesn't think it is, for goodness' sake.'

'If someone perceives it to be racist, it is.'

'It looks like the only person who perceives it to be racist is the Crime Centre.'

'Well, that is "someone".'

 

[catterick_commando]

From the local rag.....(not quoted though)..........The Police have apologised and they have said they turned up in the van as it was the most suitable vehicle available. The officers were wearing what is now standard rig i.e black shirts and stab vests.

As I said, not quoted but that was the jist of the story in the Dundee Evening Telegraph!

For what its worth, Dundee council is generally very pro the monarchy and especially the Armed Forces.

 

[Ord_Sgt]

From the local rag.....(not quoted though)..........The Police have apologised and they have said they turned up in the van as it was the most suitable vehicle available. The officers were wearing what is now standard rig i.e black shirts and stab vests.

As I said, not quoted but that was the jist of the story in the Dundee Evening Telegraph!

For what its worth, Dundee council is generally very pro the monarchy and especially the Armed Forces.

So whats their excuse for being a bunch of cnuts in this case then?

 

[Flagrantviolator]

Funny how cops all over the Western world are adopteing black shirts as uni, of late.Coincidence?