Someone I know, knows someone, who is a massive Robert Peel fan.  I was looking around for a random quote with which to impress him - and stumbled upon one which seemed pretty apt for the times.. I didn't use it to impress in the end, but to form the middle of this concise post.

So, do we know our role in the society in which we live?  We shape the government by casting out votes, and rely on the police to make sure that society can continue to function according to agreed laws to which the citizens of a country have chosen to abide.  The Police and Government aren't 'above us,' telling us what is right for us to do - but they should be beside us - fulfilling our wishes and moving us forward.

Sir Robert Peel summed this up succinctly in the following quote:

The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

Since the 16th February it has been technically illegal to photograph Police Officers in the UK.  Laws like this are not the will of the people, and should not have been passed by parliament.  Whilst I'm sure there are occasions when it would be inappropriate to photograph a policeman, there are already laws by which such actions can be made arrestable offences, and by extending the law to explixity state that any photography is illegal gives the police far too much potential for abuse.

Watch this video as a reminder why the police should be photographed and their identities challenged.