At one time, many years ago, my impression was that the British police could be presented as a model police for the rest of the world. And I’m talking of the days when I was a student here, in 1956 and 57. Although some people complained that the standard had a bit deteriorated, but to my observation this was the ideal police, one could boast of. It had a very high standard of responsibility, as well as firmness and discipline, plus politeness. All these things were so beautifully well-mended into each other, that they made one single personality, and that was the most beautiful thing about it.
They were kind, yet very firm in principle. They would not bother about anybody unnecessarily, but once somebody came to their notice, then they would be very thorough. I had one experience myself, you know, of being caught unawares, breaking a law which I was not intentionally breaking at all. I went to Wandsworth High Street. Normally, the parking days were different than that particular day, because the days had just changed on that first day. So previously I used to notice that no parking, for instance, Saturday, Sunday, and so on. And on that day the schedule had changed.
So despite the fact that I parked the car just ahead of the notice board, I didn’t care to read it, and just parked it and went ahead, doing something. When I returned, a mounted constable was standing waiting for me. So he first saluted me, and he asked about me, and then, Can you read English? I said, Yes, I can. What’s that? I said, Well, I didn’t notice it, I’m sorry. He said, No, you should have read it, so come along with me. So he took me back, asked my address, took me to the mosque here, and then he was very thorough, investigating everything. Where I got my license form, who was the inspector who examined me and so on.
He telephoned him, he telephoned my insurance, he telephoned, you know, so many places where he thought some clue could be found to my record, whether I was a criminal or this and that. So after having done everything, then he apologized and saluted and pardoned me. So that was a little experience of how they went about, once they began to suspect, otherwise normally they wouldn’t bother much. Did you find his appearance disturbing and upsetting?
At that time, I was enjoying it in reality, really. Because I was at peace within, you know, so I was just sitting comfortably, enjoying what he was doing and observing. Because I had nothing to hide, there was no suspicion within me, I mean, no criminal consciousness or any sort. So it was all right with me. But I think the criminal would feel very uncomfortable in such a situation. Because somebody is going, you know, trying to investigate every possible nook and corner, any possible crime or mission, so, but I was all right.
On the other hand, my experience of French police in the same days when I visited there as a student, on holidays, was exactly the opposite. I was just surprised how one could find such much, so much difference in European countries in the police standards and behavior, attitude and so on, very different. I think the German police is still the same, almost. No variations, not many in them, but noticeable anyway. Do you think that some people’s attitudes have changed and they think that perhaps we’re not the ideal police force anymore due to the fact that we’ve had quite a bit of trouble over the last few years and it’s brought us to light that there is some trouble in this country which there wasn’t around 1956 hardly at all, but now things are changing?
I think there are various factors influence this standard of police as such. Number one, if the entire country is going downhill in moral standards and everything and outlook, it’s impossible to keep one particular platform as high as it used to be. It has to sink long and this is a motion for which the particular people who occupy that platform are not responsible. The whole country is sinking so you have to sink long with it. So I have noticed a general downhill trend in the standard of morality here, from individual to individual the behavior is very different now. Generally speaking the crime was so low in those days, the rate of crime and the type of crime was so different as well, that for instance if I left something in my car and even I forgot to roll the windows up, I would still feel safe.
In fact once I left my things, camera and things in my car and forgot to carry them about to my apartment and because it was winter so I didn’t use the car for next two months or so and I had not locked it either and I didn’t need the camera, it so happened that I didn’t require those things so I never thought of searching for them and when I went back to my car in the beginning of the summer, everything was there, just lying there, everybody could see passing by, the other thing lying there and nobody took notice of this. Secondly in those days people took active interest in preventing crime, they were very conscious.
If somebody behaved unusually they would take note of it and they would try to help those who were suffering at the hands of someone else, you know, everybody thought it was his responsibility to help. Now I think there is this, you know, an attitude of carelessness or that we are not concerned that it happens. Not entirely, I mean there are exceptions, but overall I think this is the difference. The third factor which I noticed at that time as well, which has in fact influenced now to a large degree the morality in police, is that in those days generally people would never think of bribing police. This was, you know, this was against the British character and some Pakistanis whom I knew had started trying to do that, you know, and some other groups from other countries who were used to having their things done, work done through bribery, were attempting to do that and some, a friend of mine told me that he knew cases where some Pakistanis really got success and he was starting to give them a taste of this money.
In the name of wine, you know, ten shillings for a drink or something. So it started, you know, just the opening was made in those days. Now I don’t know myself, I have no direct knowledge from some television programs on these issues, I understand that it has really become a problem in some places at least. Then the officer was more respected at that time, that I also noticed. Because of her traditional values, people did have a very special respect for police and the police knew it and enjoyed it and that was a reward for them, you know, in the sense of being noble and being respected, that’s a very great reward.
If because of these racial problems and other things the police is being looked down upon or considered as an enemy, then the same attitude is created by way of polarization. You know, if I feel inimical towards you, naturally a pole would be created within you to counter this and your attitude will not remain neutral any longer. So I don’t think it started from the police, but this sense of enmity and hostility which appeared from certain groups to begin with and then also became an individual trait in many, that is also responsible for the police attitude. If you walk along the streets knowing that you are being looked at as enemy number one or something, you know, a lonely place and this and that, naturally you can’t help reciprocating the same.
When you say that there’s a lot of racial problems in this country, I find when I’m out on the streets, if I speak to somebody for an offense, if they’re black or Pakistani or something, they always say to me, you’re only doing it because I’m black or something. If somebody stopped you and perhaps it wasn’t an actual offense but it was checking over motor vehicles and they stopped you, a police officer, would you personally think, he’s done this, the reason why he stopped me is because I’m Pakistani? Never. It wouldn’t come to your mind at all? The thought would never cross my mind.
I don’t look at things like this, you know, in this attitude at all. I, on the other hand, have experienced that, you know, God has given us a subtle capability of judging others and measuring them. The moment we come across each other, we begin to measure each other and it is that moment that decides how you are going to treat your opponent or adversary or a friend or a passer-by you come across, whatever it be. The police officers also judge the person whom they’re addressing and the moment they see that, if they so observe, that the person is a gentleman, nobleman, and he’s rightly minded and rightly behave, their attitude would immediately adjust to this situation. They will not be insulting, except for an odd person out.
There are people in every society who are odd men out. But this is a general behavior which I have noticed everywhere, in customs, immigration, everywhere. Within a matter of a few sentences, they get the measure of you and even if they have been insulting or maybe not consciously insulting but have been showing disregard, they would readjust and change their attitude. So it is a lot that depends on the public teaching as well. Not only the police should be taught these things, there should be a public education but what education do you give to the public? In television, in radio and things?
You are particularly, as if you are consciously teaching them to be, you know, go mad about things and have disregard for all norm and culture and form and tradition and everything. This is the message now being conveyed to the people here in England and elsewhere in Europe, particularly in America, that you should have no regard for anything. This is a short life, live and enjoy as possibly you can. And this is being appreciated more and more by the people and the demand is being created more for this type of television entertainment. With the result that they are going a step ahead and they just don’t represent the society as it exists. If that were so, even that could be somehow justified.
But they go one step ahead to teach you evil things and evil manners. And I think this is the greatest curse of the time, the employment of television in our country, in these countries particularly, how they are employed. And they are not a help to you at all.
