Channel 4 have sunk to their lowest point and sent an undercover reporter posing as a probationer for their new series of Dispatches. She secretly filmed officers from Leicestershire Constabulary on the job and it is to be shown on Channel 4 in a couple of weeks. 

A mate of mine told me about it as he is based at the same station where the filming took place and remembers her starting. She just left one day, using the excuse that it wasn't for her. (he isn't involved in the film by the way). Jobs are on the line apparently.

Anyone else know anything about this?

Edited by tee5

Trust no-one!!

Yet again the press sink lower than usual.

makes me wonder if, with careful editing, they instigate an issue, steer it and then step back and think journolistic awards.

I think they should be nailed to a door, just for the fact that they quite clearly never had the intention of doing the job, and have deprived some other person of a position as a PC 

Edited by Traffic Rat

These people should be prosecuted for 'wasting police time'.  Most of the press are gutter-snipes anyway, and are prepared to go to any lengths for what they consider a good story.  I agree entirely with Traffic Rat. If anyone ever finds a press man who tells the truth let me know.

Let's face it, I have always been a believer in that whatever happens once, can happen again and again, this type of journalistic spying will keep reoccuring until one of us is bright enough to 'out them'. I wonder why this journalist picked Leicester Constabulary, is it because they have a high percentage of ethnic minority's especially asians.

You can imagine it now, someone will be caught racially abusing someone, or making inappropiate comments to do with diversity. If this spy had no evidence of this type of thing then they would not be producing this type of programme. Remember to always watch your back, front and sides, and if anyone asks you direct questions about race or diversity issues be careful. Be very careful because the enquirer could be after your pension!

What a great idea. I am sure the public would watch it as it would expose reporters as as being deceiptful and dishonest. Just the sort of mud slinging that they like to watch/read about. We also have better facilities than they have to infiltrate them.

The only problem I can see is, who would publish it? Their own vested interests would make such a program struggle to gain air time.

Perhaps we should just infiltrate the world of jounalism and instigate prosecutions for attempting to pervert the course of justice wherever we find it. That would keep the courts busy for a while.

These people are very clever at getting into places they shouldn't be getting into, remember they have the backing of a TV station behind them. At our unit we are asked about 3 or 4 times a year to be 'stars' in a fly on the wall documentary about what we do, every trime we tell them very politely to eff off and don't come back. You'll currently NOT see us on Car Wars AND Girl Cops (both programme makers were turned down by our unit so went elsewhere!!)

As victims of the first secret policemen i think we are a hell of a lot more careful of people, we had a lad coming on attachment for 4 days to us last week, that must have been fun for him, sat in the back with 2 sets of very watchful eyes on him at all times!!

Fact is someone will have said something that can be turned, misrepresented or plainly added onto  that will show them as the racist scum we all obviously are and heads will roll.

R.I.P!!! 

Unfortunately, if this story is in fact the case, the 'job' will simply roll over and take any criticism lying down.  And heads will immediately roll.  Any possibility of any form of action being taken against the journalist is none existent.  A great deal of fly on the wall documentaries about the Police (Street Crime Uk, Girl Cops, Rail Cops, Traffic Cop - even the likes of CrimeWatch, the list is almost endless) generates good viewing figures for television companies; all forces should withdraw their co operation from such programmes until such underhanded, wholly objectionable journalistic practices sieze. 

?????

The crimewatch thing , are you saying the police should stop doing Crimewatch , surely that would be cutting off our nose to spite our face , what we need is for ACPO to get a backbone and do something to stop this , even legislation