What the cops did in Cardiff yesterday

snipnsnap | 27.04.2008 11:07 | Anti-militarism | Policing | Repression

Yesterday there was a seriously over-policed peaceful demo in Cardiff against the huge new PFI that will bring a 'School of the Americas' style military academy run by arms dealers and the Open University to St Athan. Here are a few pictures of the cops, whose services were provided at huge expense to the taxpaying public, with a special focus on the evidence gathering team.

Bored plod

Contemplating taking a dip to cool off

Got an unsightly demo on your doorstep?

We specialise in "protest removal"

Two evidence gathering team photographers

And another two

And a lone police photographer

Mugshot 1

Profile 1

Mugshot 2

WL EGT 147

WL EGT 2276

Evidence gathering in action

Just how much evidence do they need?

Dunno if there are any fitwatchers in Wales, but they were sorely needed yesterday. Something to think about before the next St Athan demo maybe.

Http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com

snipnsnap

Additions

Ian Skivens

27.04.2008 11:28

In pic three the cop on the far right with the blue bib is Met FIT officer Ian Skivens, long way from home Ian?

fitwatcher

The Met, eh?

27.04.2008 11:52

Ah, I wondered whether the Met might have been involved.

Here are a couple of pics at closer range.

snipnsnap

Costs of policing

27.04.2008 13:12

Hey Mr Plod - just what were you gathering 'evidence' of? Was there any 'unlawful activity' taking place? No? Well there rarely is when you go and film people going about their lawful democratic right to protest is there? Ask yourself what you are doing this for and who gives your orders. (Just doing my job! Duuuh!)

Well, see link below for police pay scales, then you can work out the cost to the taxpayers of policing peaceful protests and use it to draw the attention of the public who are paying for mobof cops. You might even want to write to your local Chief Constable and local police authority asking how this waste of public money is justified.

http://www.police-information.co.uk/policepay.htm

eg Constable 3 years service £26,331 per annum divided by 50 (weeks) divided by 40 hours is around £13 an hour.
And that's without the hours of 'briefings' cost of transport, equipment and police staff hours of watching and collating all the hours of video photographs etc, of people going about their lawful democratic right to protest.

Under The Data Protection Act 1998, you have a right to ask the cop taking your picture his/her name and number and where s/he is based so that you can apply to get a copy. Do it and see how shy they become when approached.

Every Camera Plod I have asked about why they are doing it, what happens to the pictures video etc pleads ignorance. The say they don't know and are not interested in the results of all their painstaking work or are too shy to admit what they know about Secret Police work.

Taxpayer

Comments

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I think the point of fitwatch

27.04.2008 11:56

That's all. Solidarity from over the border

is you do it yourself

yeah, of course

27.04.2008 12:09

but it probably works best with a little bit of forward planning :o) Point is, no-one was doing it yesterday, including me, so maybe we need to think about it before next time.

snipnsnap

south wales police specialist search unit

27.04.2008 13:28

just googled this and the page is blank! Why stick up a link to a blank page on the side of your van? Just makes you look like muppets.

meagain

Suggestion from Fitwatch

28.04.2008 06:57

At a recent Fitwatch meeting, one of the things suggested was that people should think about Fitwatch when planning an event in the same way they might think about organising legal support.

Also, we are happy to publicise events where Fitwatch may be needed on the blog - although we can't promise anyone involved in the blog will come along.

Fitwatch
mail e-mail: fitwatch(at)yahoo.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com

These pics

28.04.2008 11:27

have been uploaded onto the fitwatch blog - or at least some of them have. Thanks for posting them.

Really Fit
Homepage: http://www.fitwatch.blogspot.com

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the guy from the met

28.04.2008 13:33

the guy from the met is always there he never seem to get a promotion. He has been doing it for years now, does he pong or something?

loppy

Skivens

28.04.2008 15:15

A few of us at the demo did recognise Ian Skivens (and he recognised us too) and gave him a big "hello Ian!" and took some photos of him and his mates. The FIT lot seemed to like hanging around the group of South Wales Anarchists. However, once you approach them and take a photo, they soon move along.The FIT/Met cops just looked liked idiots on Saturday, and did a good job of making perhaps less radical peace activists hate the police more for being so intimidating and OTT. Well done Skivens.

South Wales Anarchist
Homepage: http://www.southwalesanarchists.org

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