The number of isolated incidents of police brutality around the world is remarkably high (Radley Balko and Rad Geek are great sources of information, by the way), but torturing those suspected of a victimless crime seems harsh even by police standards.
Six members of London’s metropolitan police force are the focus of a criminal investigation after a corruption probe revealed allegations by a serving officer that detectives waterboarded suspects allegedly caught with a “large amount” of marijuana.
“The officers under investigation were among 10 based in Enfield, north London, who were suspended in February in one of the worst allegations of corruption to hit the Metropolitan police in recent years,” reported The Telegraph.
“The part of the inquiry focusing on alleged police brutality has been taken over by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC),” reported the Times Online. “It is examining the conduct of six officers connected to drug raids in November in which four men and a woman were arrested in Enfield and Tottenham.
The British publication added: “Police said they found a large amount of cannabis and the suspects were charged with importation of a class C drug. The case was abandoned four months later when the Crown Prosecution Service said ‘it would not have been in the public interest to proceed.’ It is understood that the trial, by revealing the torture claims, would have compromised the criminal investigation into the six officers.”
“The officers, who include a detective sergeant, were originally suspended over allegations they stole property during the drugs raids,” noted Sky News. “The officers are members of the Enfield crime squad based at Edmonton police station.”
“[British] papers gave varying accounts of the exact technique used by police, with the Times saying that officers poured water on a cloth and placed it over a suspect’s face to simulate the experience of drowning,” reported the Associated Press. “The Daily Mail said police officers repeatedly dunked the suspects’ heads in buckets of water. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.”
These people are thugs, plain and simple.
Brad Taylor is a graduate student in Political Science at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. He blogs at 
Well yaknow. . . when Duh Gubmint says it’s ok, every psychopath in uniform will follow the same path.
These guys need to be hung publicly. . .
True, but the question remains… by which part of the anatomy?
As the saying goes. . . “Hung by the neck until dead.”
Unless/until these criminals are subject to public execution, they will continue to Abuse and Murder those they are sworn to Protect and Serve.
I full believe that being in a “Position of Authority” should be an Enhancement when Prosecuted for crimes – they have not only violated their Oath, they have used their Perceived Authority to commit a crime. . . which should make their Violations a Capital Offense under the Constitutional Definition of Treason (I know this article is about British Police, but the same sort of Treasonous Criminal Activities occur on a Weekly basis in the US)
What revrend draco said only I would prefer they were dragged into the street by their hair and shot.
It’s called discouraging the competition.
Kill all cops I say. They are all fascist pigs simply for being in the position that they are in. I don’t care what their intentions are. Many people point out that Hitler’s intentions were good, but I don’t care. He should be killed for what he actually does.
Killing the cops will not get us any closer to freedom. I am all for treating them like pariahs, though.
Agree with Nick on this. I remember reading about how police in Northern Ireland could not even buy food at the grocery store during the Irish struggle for independence. This was a huge blow to morale and recruitment for the police force. Ostracism can be accomplished without violence and is probably more effective.
Following through on the mantra of “Kill all cops” in the absence of popular support for doing so would most likely be counter productive. It would probably have the opposite intended effect of actually increasing support for the police.
Furthermore, if popular support actually existed for killing all cops, I imagine that there would not be a police force by then.
Calling for the death of all police, regardless of whatever crimes they have committed as an individual while wearing a clown suit, shows little to no capacity for the principle of proportionality.
Rothbard has written some good stuff about that here: http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard145.html
I’m definitely opposed to violent action against the state. I don’t like harming anyone who really thinks they are doing good unless it’s going to significantly improve things. Violence against the state is counterproductive: it makes all liberty-lovers look like thugs and will provoke a backlash from the state.
without violence implied against the ’state’ the ’state’ then assumes that We The People are powerless to stop anything it does and hence are paralyzed and afraid of ‘it’ and unable to act.
so, I disagree. I don’t like violence either, but without the threat of a revolution, and I don’t mean a ‘velvet’ one, these fuckers will continue to turn every single last one of us into fucking SLAVES.
so, as much as I abhor and denounce violence, there is a time and a place for it, and we’re quickly approaching that time and place.
I think that this is the time for us to grow in numbers.