A pity Rupa Huq’s “duty” did not lead her to offer something more insightful and apposite to the particular case than a glib soundbite, inspired, no doubt, by some directive from “head office” along the lines of: “Never forget to mention the cuts.” These intruders in our neighbourhood were carrying on a covert operation. At a public meeting, a representative of the police explained their difficulty in dealing with the problem. What he did not mention (because it would probably have cost him his job) is how the police’s power to deal with the phenomenon of black-on-black crime is hampered by the efforts of politicians who oppose stop-and- search powers, our Rupa, for instance, and her dear friend Naz Shah of the anti-semitic tweets fame, defended by Huq. But that merits a post of its own.
Andrew Farmer ● 2203d