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Life on Mars – Policing in 1973

Commander John Grieve tackled racism in the Metropolitan Police leading the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence after the MacPherson Inquiry.

The BBC recently uncovered a file at the National Archives which showed how in 1973 Commander Grieve took part in a typical Police action of the time which he describes as now looking “appalling”.

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In brief Grieve was one of five plain clothes Detectives who raided a house in Peckham looking for drugs.  A cannabis plant was found in the back garden which the ground floor tenant admitted was his.  The Officers then stormed upstairs where Michael Thomas and Jessie Antoine were packing away their possessions to move to Trinidad.  Antoine and Thomas were in their 50s but frail and “elderly” according to the Metropolitan Police file.  Both were in poor health.  The file describes them protesting strongly.  The Police alleged a violent struggle followed with Thomas dragging at least three healthy young Police Officers the length of the landing whereupon he threw off their hold upon him, bit one on the hand and stabbed another with some scissors.  Grieve was the Officer who was bitten.  A Doctor’s report described it as a relatively minor injury.  No drugs were found.  The couple were held for 10 days and charged with assaulting the Officers.  The case was heard at the Old Bailey in December 1973 when the Judge raised concerns about the evidence and directed the jury to find the couple not guilty.  The couple took action against the Police who settled out of Court reportedly paying them £4,000.

Fortunately methods of policing have changed considerably since 1973.  Unfortunately there remains a minority of Police Officers who exceed their lawful powers and abuse their position of trust.  Ben Hoare Bell has a specialist department for Police complaints work and civil actions against public authorities for damages when things go wrong.  If you believe you have suffered as a result of misconduct please contact our Head of Department Richard Hardy on 0191 516 7926 or email richardhardy@benhoarestaging.local

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