http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7520598.stm

"Terror police detain disabled boy

A police officer has been transferred from duties at a Channel crossing after a
disabled child and his parents were detained under the Terrorism Act.

Julie Maynard, of Ware, Hertfordshire, was taking a day trip to Calais through
the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone, Kent.

The detective constable accused Ms Maynard and her husband Leslie Coombs of
trafficking her son Joshua, 12.

Kent Police apologised and described the incident as inappropriate,
unprofessional and lacking in tact.

The family were stopped by the plain clothes officer from the Channel Tunnel
Policing Unit on 20 February.

Ms Maynard, a legal advocate, said the officer, who failed to identify who she
was, asked for the family's passports then asked "who's the boy?".

"My son is mixed race and the officer then told us, 'I believe you are child
trafficking'," she said.

When Ms Maynard asked the woman officer if she would be asked the same question
if her son was white, she said the officer replied: "Are you accusing me of
being a racist?"

The family were then detained under the Terrorism Act and surrounded by "at
least 10 police officers" who ordered them to get out of their car.

Ms Maynard was separated from her husband and son, who is autistic and has
cerebral palsy, and taken to a detention room for questioning, leaving Joshua
distressed.

Ms Maynard said the woman officer told her: "It's obvious he [Joshua] has
nothing to do with you".

She said officers had told the family they had powers to hold them for up to
nine hours under Section 7 of the Terrorism Act, but they were released after
more than two hours.

Mr Coombs said it was an "unpleasant and frightening experience".

Julie Maynard said: "More and more people are being stopped under the Terrorism
Act - there's absolutely nothing in the act to stop individual officers abusing
their powers.

"They have a difficult job to do in a difficult climate but their approach needs
to be reasonable and not presumptive that every person is somehow guilty of a
possible terrorism or criminal offence."

Kent Police have paid a "substantial sum" of money to the welfare fund at
Joshua's school, reimbursed the family's ferry fare and offered Joshua a visit
to the Kent police marine launch.

Insp Helen Shaw, from Kent Police's Frontier Operations, apologised to the
family in a letter.

In another letter she wrote: "Your complaint and my subsequent enquiries allowed
me to identify that her (the officer's) manner had been insensitive, lacking in
tact and that her conduct overall lacked the professionalism I expect.

"I wish to reassure you that your highly unsatisfactory experience was a very
isolated incident."


Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get from a
ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more ludicrous arrest under
the *Terrorism Act*?!

Mike
--
http://www.corestore.org
'As I walk along these shores
I am the history within'

"Mike Ross" wrote in message
...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7520598.stm

Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get from a
ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more ludicrous arrest
under
the *Terrorism Act*?!

Beacuse most police are stupid. It's ludicrous that idiots with half and
O-level can arrest and detain people based on their rather limited ability
to have 'hunches'.

In article , Mike Ross
writes
Ms Maynard, a legal advocate, said the officer, who failed to identify
who she was, asked for the family's passports then asked "who's the
boy?".

I wonder if the grovelling apology would have been forthcoming if she
had been a shop worker from Bradford?

"My son is mixed race and the officer then told us, 'I believe you are
child trafficking'," she said.

Ah the race card.

When Ms Maynard asked the woman officer if she would be asked the same
question if her son was white, she said the officer replied: "Are you
accusing me of being a racist?"


Not racist just very, very stupid.

"I wish to reassure you that your highly unsatisfactory experience was a
very isolated incident."


My arse it is, the police are totally out of control.

Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get from a
ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more ludicrous
arrest under the *Terrorism Act*?!

Because they can.

Mike

--
Michael Swift We do not regard Englishmen as foreigners.
Kirkheaton We look on them only as rather mad Norwegians.
Yorkshire Halvard Lange

"Mike Ross" wrote in message
...

"My son is mixed race and the officer then told us, 'I believe you are
child
trafficking'," she said.

When Ms Maynard asked the woman officer if she would be asked the same
question
if her son was white, she said the officer replied: "Are you accusing me
of
being a racist?"

Ms Maynard said the woman officer told her: "It's obvious he [Joshua] has
nothing to do with you".

I shall pass this on to my cousin who looks white but is of mixed race so
that when he comes home from his holidays with his kids (who look mixed
race) he knows what to expect.

Andy

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:11:38 +0100, "mert1639"
wrote:


"Mike Ross" wrote in message
.. .
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7520598.stm

Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get from a
ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more ludicrous arrest
under
the *Terrorism Act*?!

Beacuse most police are stupid. It's ludicrous that idiots with half and
O-level can arrest and detain people based on their rather limited ability
to have 'hunches'.

And there was a similar story in the Guardian on Monday:
"Did they think I had kidnapped him?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/ju...drelationships

MM

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:32:06 +0100, MM wrote:

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:11:38 +0100, "mert1639"
wrote:


"Mike Ross" wrote in message
. ..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7520598.stm

Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get from a
ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more ludicrous arrest
under
the *Terrorism Act*?!

Beacuse most police are stupid. It's ludicrous that idiots with half and
O-level can arrest and detain people based on their rather limited ability
to have 'hunches'.

And there was a similar story in the Guardian on Monday:
"Did they think I had kidnapped him?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/ju...drelationships

MM

Another reason to despise the police

Alang wrote:

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:32:06 +0100, MM wrote:

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:11:38 +0100, "mert1639"
wrote:


"Mike Ross" wrote in message
...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7520598.stm

Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get
from a ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more
ludicrous arrest under
the *Terrorism Act*?!

Beacuse most police are stupid. It's ludicrous that idiots with
half and O-level can arrest and detain people based on their
rather limited ability to have 'hunches'.

And there was a similar story in the Guardian on Monday:
"Did they think I had kidnapped him?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/ju...drelationships

MM

Another reason to despise the police

Not really, the higher ups actually did something which is quite
refreshing.
One of the problems, is that many of our 'top grade' detective movies
and tv series, have central characters such as Frost, who is surly and
the majority fly against the concrete evidence to use their 'gut
feeling'.
Our police are not really very bright in the main, and are influenced
by all these tv detectives.
All my opinion of course.

--

Edster wrote:

Mike Ross wrote:


Julie Maynard said: "More and more people are being stopped under
the Terrorism Act - there's absolutely nothing in the act to stop
individual officers abusing their powers.

I bet a few years ago she was one of the people jumping up and down
demanding those laws be passed after seeing the latest propaganda
about terrorists on the news. Too late now, she should have thought of
that sooner. It's like the people moaning about spy cameras being used
to spy on people. Duh. That's what they are for.

You bet?
Your post is based on absolutely a guess that she could have been one
of the tiny minority of this country that wanted the laws set up?

--

On 23 Jul 2008 18:03:56 GMT, "joe"
wrote:

Alang wrote:

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:32:06 +0100, MM wrote:

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:11:38 +0100, "mert1639"
wrote:


"Mike Ross" wrote in message
...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7520598.stm

Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get
from a ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more
ludicrous arrest under
the *Terrorism Act*?!

Beacuse most police are stupid. It's ludicrous that idiots with
half and O-level can arrest and detain people based on their
rather limited ability to have 'hunches'.

And there was a similar story in the Guardian on Monday:
"Did they think I had kidnapped him?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/ju...drelationships

MM

Another reason to despise the police

Not really, the higher ups actually did something which is quite
refreshing.

LIke what?
I was referring to the arrest of a family undert the terrorism act.

"Insp Helen Shaw, from Kent Police's Frontier Operations, apologised
to the family in a letter.

In another letter she wrote: "Your complaint and my subsequent
enquiries allowed me to identify that her (the officer's) manner had
been insensitive, lacking in tact and that her conduct overall lacked
the professionalism I expect.

"I wish to reassure you that your highly unsatisfactory experience was
a very isolated incident." "

It was an illegal arrest and unlawful detention FFS! They were
arrested under the terrorism act. A child was put into a stressful
situation that under any other criteria would be regarded as child
abuse.

The plods concerned should have been at the very least disciplined
with loss of salary. So should their superior officer

One of the problems, is that many of our 'top grade' detective movies
and tv series, have central characters such as Frost, who is surly and
the majority fly against the concrete evidence to use their 'gut
feeling'.
Our police are not really very bright in the main, and are influenced
by all these tv detectives.
All my opinion of course.

Too many of them are arrogant thugs. Not very bright either.

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:00:24 -0400, Mike Ross
wrote:

snip


Quoted in full no apologies. First and foremost, how did this get from a
ludicrous suspicion of child trafficking, to an even more ludicrous arrest under
the *Terrorism Act*?!


One police officer acting stupidly.

I don't see this as a "reason to hate the police at all".

The officer concerned has been transferred to different duties
(probably considered to be a punishment), and the police have
apologised profusely and paid compensation.

This was certainly completely unacceptable behaviour by that police
officer, but it appears to have been dealt with about as well as
possible afterwards.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
Which way to Castle Anthrax?
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom