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I would tend to agree with all the positive points made re the police but, although having little personal experience, I am concerned at the severe shift of power without control that appears to be happening with regard to the police.
It's not so much the foot soldiers but more the bureaucracy behind them. A bureaucracy's first job is to protect itself and all the rights and privileges it has - and those further that it can gather to itself. This is an unfortunate consequence of living in a society where civil servant is semantically equivalent to civil master.
There are not enough controls on the powers that the state has given itself. If great power is given a body, the law should provide for grave consequences when that power is abused. (Note that I didn't say "if").
On the surface of it, it would appear that the cadet adult officer started it all for his own - presumeably personal reasons - and the police officers backed him up and got themselves into a jam. The cops clearly expected the little boy ('cos that's how they will have regarded him) to move on and do what he was told instantly - regardless of their legal power to do so.
The thing that appalls me is that the young man was completely powerless to prevent the cops from doing what they wanted to do - even though it appears to have been outwith their powers. If he had raised his voice too much, sworn, or pushed back when pushed - bang! instant arrest. It is so one sided and it's all very well claiming that redress can be sought later -and I'm not thinking of the photographer just now, but the damage is done and the brutal lesson for joe public is that he doesn't matter - and this is supposed to be a free democracy.
Hah!
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