Unsackable police and is UK too weak on sex crime?
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Rogue police officers and that they will be placed on paid leave. Excuse me?
Police officers deemed to pose a risk to the public cannot be sacked according to a High Court ruling branded ‘absurd’ by Met chief Sir Mark Rowley (Metro, Wed).
A judge backed a challenge by Sgt Lino Di Maria, who had his vetting clearance removed over multiple sex allegations that he denies.
It frustrates Sir Mark’s attempts to root out rogue cops after the murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens and serial rapes by David Carrick.
In general our police do a very hard job under challenging conditions.
Now I read a judge has ruled they can’t sack rogue police officers and that they will be placed on paid leave. Excuse me?
Well, with my trust in our police force dented already, this reduces my trust somewhat further. Geoff Hall, Croydon
What about innocent until proven guilty?
‘Why should anyone, cleared of any wrongdoing, then lose their livelihood.’
Innocent until proven guilty, remember. If an accused is found not guilty, or has no case to answer, that should be the end of the matter. Why should a police officer, or anyone, who has been cleared of any wrongdoing, then lose their livelihood? John, Brighton
Sexual assault survivors didn’t think police would help them
‘It appears French police take sexual offenders more seriously’
Further to the ‘peeping Tom’ getting off with a caution (MetroTalk, Tue),
I am sick of living in a country where sexual assault is not taken seriously and punishments are no deterrent whatsoever.
Office for National Statistics data shows that 83 per cent of rapes go unreported, with 38 per cent of survivors saying they didn’t think the police would help them.
Fewer than three per cent of rapes recorded by police in the year from October 2023 resulted in someone being charged, let alone convicted. If this is the terrible attitude to getting justice for victims of the most serious assaults, why are we surprised when cautions are handed out for ‘lesser’ offences? And for anyone who thinks ‘peeping’ is a minor crime, may I remind you that Gisèle Pelicot’s husband (who repeatedly drugged his wife so multiple men could rape her) was initially arrested for upskirting.
It appears French police take sexual offenders more seriously than our forces do. Zoe Purdie-Wood, via email
Hospitals are so full – they discharge patients too early
‘I was sent home early following a potentially serious fall.’
Further to hospitals being ‘close to full’ because of the winter vomiting bug and thousands of people being fit to be discharged but having nowhere to go (Metro, Fri). I was recently sent home early from hospital following a potentially serious fall. The doctor told me they needed the bed.
I was still unsteady and hadn’t yet got to the toilet unaided.
My despatch form, incorrectly dated, stated I lived with my daughters – I only have one daughter and she moved out a year ago.
My god-daughter, a pharmacist, tells me that this happens all the time. Alison, Liverpool
Would UK data trained AI doctor cause more harm than good?
‘Any such machine learning trained on UK data would be biased’
Further to the suggestion that AI be used to diagnose and prescribe for healthcare (MetroTalk, Wed).
Any such machine learning trained on UK data would be biased to prescribe based on a largely white, well-off populous.
This may misdiagnose many thousands of conditions from poorer, more diverse backgrounds. Neil Dance, Birmingham
Shops going overboard for customer feedback
‘A lot of fannying about for a 29p Valentines card’
I agree with Rudy (MetroTalk, Tue) about some shops going overboard with regards to customer feedback.
While in a popular card outlet, I was asked to score my ‘customer experience’ by using their QR code and downloading their app. Sounded like a lot of fannying about for a 29p Valentine’s card. No expense spared this year. Stevie Dugdale, Sheffield
The Brutal truth about Trellick Tower and the Barbican Centre the friendliest place in London
‘We used to say thank God we didn’t have to live in it’
Regarding your feature about brutalist architecture and London’s Trellick Tower (Metro, Tue). I was an apprentice pipe-fitter/welder working on this tower block around the
mid- 1960s, during construction.
We used to say thank God we didn’t have to live in it when it was finished.
I also worked on the Ferrier Estate in south-east London – a terrible place that has been knocked down now. Bob Edmunds, Wateringbury‘
From hole in the ground to monsters soaring skyward
When I first came to London in the 70s, I encountered a massive hole in the ground in the City.
A few years later, the monsters soared skywards. It was the brutalist Barbican Centre. Wonderful!
It is the friendliest place in this wonderful city, a reflection of its village-like atmosphere. Keith, London