Our Police must enforce the laws that Parliament gives them without fear or favour.
So, on receipt of an accusation, they are duty bound to investigate it where it meets the criminal threshold.
It is not surprising that a knock on the door causes distress to someone who is law-abiding and whose day job is to voice their opinion.
In a free society we ought to be able to exercise freedom of speech without fear of intimidation. But it should also be remembered that an investigation is not a presumption of guilt.
When complaints are made to the Police, an investigation takes place with witnesses invited to give their statements and then a decision is taken as to whether an offence has been committed and whether criminal charges should be brought.
The final call is made by the Crown Prosecution service who make a judgment based on the likelihood of conviction and whether it is in the public interest prosecute.
That is why it is regrettable that so much criticism has been directed at Essex Police. They were just doing their job.
If we don’t like what the Police are doing, then Parliament should change the law. MPs certainly shouldn’t be scapegoating the Police when it is they who are responsible for making the law.
And no one should be joining the herd without full knowledge of the facts. This investigation was about a public order offence, not a non-crime hate incident as is being suggested by some commentators.
Former Health Minister, Jackie Doyle-Price
Getty
I am full of admiration for our Police. These are in the main honourable people who put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe. What is disappointing is that the suggestion of two-tier policing is undermining confidence in our Police and that will make the public less likely to report crimes.
No public institution should be free from criticism, but Essex is a force that has had some considerable successes in recent years.
People traffickers have been banged up for hundreds of years thanks to the dedication of Essex police officers investigating the deaths of the 39 Vietnamese found dead in the back of a trailer five years ago.
It was Essex Police officers that dealt with the Just Stop Oil protests and ensured that disruption was kept to a minimum.
Again, the perpetrators of that criminal activity have received hefty sentences. Notwithstanding that the right to protest is another right we ought to be able to enjoy.
How many of the recent critics of Essex Police would be champions of the liberties of the Just Stop Oil protestors. Not many I vouch.
LATEST MEMBERSHIP OPINION:
Our rights to free speech and freedom to protest are not unlimited. And we require laws to exist where the expression of our rights leads to a clash with the rights of others.
Hence the need to have limits on the right to protest where disruption is excessive. And the need for tools to deal with incidents where freedom of speech can cause incitement.
This should not be portrayed as siding with one group or set of beliefs over another. It needs to be viewed through the prism of keeping society safe.
It was respect for liberties that led to a reduction in use of stop and search powers. But no one would suggest that has made our streets safer.
On the contrary, knife crime is a bigger challenge for society than ever. But if we are unhappy that those laws do not achieve the right balance then change the laws.
Do not attack the Police who are simply doing their jobs. Give them the tools, I.e the laws, that will give us more confidence that they are doing the jobs we want them to.