UK cop accuses colleagues of waterboarding pot suspects
Published: June 9, 2009
Updated 8 months ago
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.”
“The [metro police] Directorate of Professional Standards received information from an MPS employee which raised concerns about the conduct of a small number of officers on Enfield borough,” a police spokesman told The Telegraph. “The Met’s DPS then initiated a thorough investigation and as part of this made a referral to the IPCC in April 2009.
“The IPCC is independently investigating the actions of six officers during the arrests of five people in November 2008. ”
“Any allegations of such behavior are treated very seriously … and if found true the strongest possible action will be taken,” Scotland Yard told the AP in an e-mail.
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Shit rolls down hill. Soon they will be waterboarding for not wearing a safety belt while driving.
From all indications, the UK is now Nazi Germany with a less-sexy accent.
The UK is ranked 5th as a Police State and the US is at 6th place. The New Reich is the US, UK, and Australia!
Coming soon to a US city near you!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment
Yeah, the wingnuts will soon get what they have been after, themselves strapped to a table and drowned or beaten to a pulp.
Then will blame Democrats for being the Nazis who started it all.
Egads..
What sort of sick parody of a human being does one become when a badge is attached?
You know, it’s a bit like science fiction.. This metamorphosis from average guy to spike clubbed barbarian.
The really sad part: Like true tough guys, I can see and believe they paused for a “group flex” after water boarding their pot terrorist.. and paused to remind themselves that they are good fathers, and a net addition to society because they take their kids to soccer practice.
For fifty years we’ve known that torture is only good for indoctrination and to force false confessions for political purposes. It has worked for 500 years as the tool of choice to substantiate false allegations, such as during the witch trials. Corrupt authority can only stay in power by using lies. They get those lies from torture.
Not surprising that lower level Brit officials tortured. They had the example of their Prime Minister Blair and President Bush extolling the virtue of Torture. Put a stop to Torture in America at least.
Prosecute “Torturegate”
HELP Push our basically Good President
To Enforce Our Federal Anti-Torture Laws.
SIGN THE PETITION To Prosecute the Bush-Cheney Torturers
in the Republican Extremist Party
http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG
Over 250,000 have signed, Join them and call yourself a Patriot
.
What a sick bunch of nazi bastards. What this world has turned into since the illuminati attack of 9/11 is disgusting.
Ah the dilemma…legal torture or illegal torture?
Well, if you make it legal, then it can be monitored!
If it’s illegal, then those who use it, could just as easily be torturing people, not for information, since it can’t be used or mentioned anyway and will likely end in mistrial and criminal charges for the good guys, but use it to force them to turnover their illegal loot. (so it becomes, kidnapping, theft and torture!)
See the lack of symmetrical law? See that lack of balance!! Imagine the hardship of judges who have to release guilty people!!
Can’t have that…so make it legal and monitor it, because we all know the State does a heck of job.
My prof was John Yoo!!!
I’m surprised that local community police departments in America didn’t use the Bush administration’s definition that waterboarding isn’t torture to apply it to any suspect they wanted to acquire information from.
Ever hear of this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a83b_VsP66U
Drug dealer Lester Siler got raked over the coals by five cops who actually held his head in the toilet and hooked up electrodes to his testicles in an effort to get a signature on a consent to search form.
His wife left an audio recorder running that caught most of it. It was later turned over to the FBI.
The cops got four years in jail for torture. Siler got 10 years in jail for drugs.
makes one wonder just what info they thought some pot heads might have.. I immagine the questions went something like:
“Where are the Doritos! TELL US!”
“I don’t know, really!”
“LIES! what cupboard are they in! Tell us where the chips are or you die!”.
Another reason to legalize.