The Met is institutionally homophobic

[trashpony]

Along with their misogyny and racism, the Met has now scored a hat trick of people they’re not interested in.

‘Failings by the Met Police contributed to the deaths of serial killer Stephen Port's final three victims, an inquest jury has ruled.’

Stephen Port murdered 4 young gay men. ‘The Met failed to carry out basic checks, send evidence to be forensically examined, and exercise professional curiosity while Port was embarking on his killing spree, the inquest heard.’

Because they didn’t bother to investigate the first murder properly - they didn’t even assign a murder squad to it - Port was able to murder three more young men before they caught him. Not only were they entirely incompetent, the officers who failed to investigate have been promoted.

This was before Dick took over but the force is manifestly not fit for purpose.

RIP
Anthony Walgate
Gabriel Kovari
Jack Taylor
Daniel Whitworth


Stephen Port: Met Police failings led to more deaths Stephen Port: Met Police failings led to more deaths

 

[trashpony]

World at One - 10/12/2021 - BBC Sounds

Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Jonny Dymond.

www.bbc.co.uk

Worth a listen to the start of the World at One today where they interview the solicitor and families.

 

[baldrick]

Didn't the sister of one of the men contact the detectives about some evidence and was fobbed off repeatedly? The partner of one of the young men as well was treated with total disrespect.

The whole thing was a terrible shambles. People's deaths not investigated because they were gay I just can't get over how callous that is.

There was a good article on the BBC about it all a while back The killer the police missed

But three young men died needlessly because the met couldn't be bothered. Heartbreaking.

 

[editor]

It's a disgraceful story. The fact that some of these incompetent officers have since been promoted is disgusting.

As a slightly flippant aside, I hope the BBC make a brilliant drama out of the way the sisters doggedly refused to accept the Met's version and finally got justice and this story gets wider coverage.

 

[trashpony]

Didn't the sister of one of the men contact the detectives about some evidence and was fobbed off repeatedly? The partner of one of the young men as well was treated with total disrespect.

The whole thing was a terrible shambles. People's deaths not investigated because they were gay I just can't get over how callous that is.

There was a good article on the BBC about it all a while back The killer the police missed

But three young men died needlessly because the met couldn't be bothered. Hearbreaking.

Thanks for that article - it’s really good. I do vaguely remember hearing about this before but i had the radio on when I was eating lunch today and was just astounded at how fucking incompetent the police were. They just didn’t care.

 

[baldrick]

They just didn’t care.

That's it isn't it. You could almost forgive some well meaning bungled investigation where people tried and made mistakes, but they didn't even pretend to do their job.

 

[StoneRoad]

The Met need dragging into the modern era & completely overhauling.

So many of the problems with the Met as a police force are rooted in past attitudes (& even what used to be the laws, homosexuality being just one example)

 

[trashpony]

The BBC have made a drama documentary

BBC One - Four Lives, Series 1, Episode 1

When two men are found dead, their loved ones try to find what really caused their deaths.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[DJWrongspeed]

The BBC have made a drama documentary

BBC One - Four Lives, Series 1, Episode 1

When two men are found dead, their loved ones try to find what really caused their deaths.

www.bbc.co.uk

This was very well handled. Recommended viewing. Stephen Merchant has a total transformation into a deeply disturbing psychopath....chilling.

If there was homophobia from the police I didn't think it was shown in this dramatisation. What came across was the sheer incompetence in the case handling and in dealing with the grieving families. There was never any scenes where the Barking bill were talking between themselves where that might have come out. Must be a pretty grim feeling being a copper in Barking after this had aired ......

 

[trashpony]

I haven’t watched it yet but I will. I think both Sheridan Smith and Stephen Merchant are great actors.

By homophobic, I didn’t mean that they were making homophobic jokes and doing ‘backs against the wall lads’ stuff. They just didn’t care enough. Their position was that men who have casual sex are not worth much.

That kind of homophobia is much more insidious

 

[Edie]

Those poor young men. Heartbreaking.

 

[Edie]

I haven’t watched it yet but I will. I think both Sheridan Smith and Stephen Merchant are great actors.

By homophobic, I didn’t mean that they were making homophobic jokes and doing ‘backs against the wall lads’ stuff. They just didn’t care enough. Their position was that men who have casual sex are not worth much.

That kind of homophobia is much more insidious

Was the same for working girls altho I believe the situation is somewhat better now. Not every life is equal.

 

[trashpony]

Was the same for working girls altho I believe the situation is somewhat better now. Not every life is equal.

Yep. I was thinking about the Yorkshire ripper victims (are you old enough to remember when they reported that ‘an innocent’ woman had been murdered?) and also the girls who were groomed in Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford etc

 

[Fozzie Bear]

It's a disgraceful story. The fact that some of these incompetent officers have since been promoted is disgusting.

As a slightly flippant aside, I hope the BBC make a brilliant drama out of the way the sisters doggedly refused to accept the Met's version and finally got justice and this story gets wider coverage.

This is essentially what Four Lives is and it is chilling and compelling in equal measure.

 

[Larry O'Hara]

The whole thing had a ring of truth: institutional homophobia, in Barking at least. Can we look forward to the full story about David Copeland next? I fear not: too hot to handle

 

[trashpony]

I‘ve just watched Four Lives and I’m ever angrier now. Those poor boys and their poor families.

Those officers need sacking

 

[hitmouse]

I really hadn't been aware of the full details of this story up till now, but I've just been listening to the Bad Gays two-parter on Cressida Dick and fucking hell:

S5E8&9: Cressida Dick — Bad Gays

Until last week, she was the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, London’s police force, and was the first woman and the first LBGTQ person to hold the rank.

badgayspod.com

I've often seen people make the point that serial killers aren't evil geniuses, the ones that get away with it for a while just pick victims that the police don't see as being worth caring about, and god that really seems to have been the case here.

I covered Stephen Port’s murders. I know Cressida Dick’s departure isn’t enough

I connected the dots on the killings as a local journalist – and was intimidated by police for doing my job

www.opendemocracy.net

I once spent an hour sitting in the graveyard where Port left his victims, being interviewed for a TV documentary. Because he was facing me, the interviewer did not realise that a police officer had wandered up behind him, and was making eye contact with me and listening to every word I said. I should have stopped and asked him what he wanted. But it was intimidating. It was also kind of humiliating. Nothing makes you aware of yourself like a cop staring at you. At that moment, I was acutely aware of being both a journalist and being gay.

 

[trashpony]

Jack’s family are petitioning for a full public enquiry. You can sign it here: Sign the Petition

 

[trashpony]

IOPC investigation reopening

Stephen Port: Met to be reinvestigated over serial killer Stephen Port: Met to be reinvestigated over serial killer

I hope those fucking homophobic arseholes go down. It’s the only way the Met will ever change.