Threatening arrest
When I arrived at about 8pm there was a group of local people, consisting mainly of mothers and children with a few young men standing on the corner of Cavendish and Broomspring Lane. I was told there had been a number of arrests following a conflict between some local young people and a group on Devonshire Green.
Shortly after I arrived a police officer asked why I was taking photographs and told me that “the police can be trusted to take care of the situation”. This seemed somewhat at odds with what I observed. One officer explained to me that their objective was to persuade both groups to disperse and return home, which seemed reasonable. However the officer pictured interpreted this as threatening “go home or I will arrest you.” When I asked him what the charge would be he said “Breach of the peace – there are people who have paid a lot of money to live in these flats, pointing at the West One complex.” I was disturbed that the young children there, many of whom I know, where seeing this image of community policing. In the end another officer restrained the one making these threats and led him away. After a further ten minutes some of the local young men ushered the children back towards their homes and told them not to return to the area.
We may be a little complacent about racist flare-ups in Sheffield and tonight’s incident was certainly very very low key but I did wonder about local police preparedness and policies in this situation. There were at least six police vehicles, there were dog handlers and there were armed officers. What there didn’t seem to be was a priority to present fairness and politeness to the local community.
Shortly after I arrived a police officer asked why I was taking photographs and told me that “the police can be trusted to take care of the situation”. This seemed somewhat at odds with what I observed. One officer explained to me that their objective was to persuade both groups to disperse and return home, which seemed reasonable. However the officer pictured interpreted this as threatening “go home or I will arrest you.” When I asked him what the charge would be he said “Breach of the peace – there are people who have paid a lot of money to live in these flats, pointing at the West One complex.” I was disturbed that the young children there, many of whom I know, where seeing this image of community policing. In the end another officer restrained the one making these threats and led him away. After a further ten minutes some of the local young men ushered the children back towards their homes and told them not to return to the area.
We may be a little complacent about racist flare-ups in Sheffield and tonight’s incident was certainly very very low key but I did wonder about local police preparedness and policies in this situation. There were at least six police vehicles, there were dog handlers and there were armed officers. What there didn’t seem to be was a priority to present fairness and politeness to the local community.
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