Back in the job – the PC his chief does not want
Monday 1st June 2009, 2:30PM BST.
A SUB-STANDARD police officer with a criminal record has been put back on the streets by the Home Department.
PC Stuart Allan (pictured), who was convicted of assault, has had an appeal upheld by politicians and been reinstated into the force – even though his chief officer does not want him.
He was required to resign following an independent inquiry which was critical of his handling of a woman, which led to the assault case.
However, a lay appeal panel headed by deputy Home Department minister Francis Quin and including Deputy Jenny Tasker and non-States member Andrew Ozanne, concluded that there was not enough evidence to stop PC Allan from keeping his job.
All three declined to discuss why they wanted to retain PC Allan.
Rosemarie Holt, 65, who was left with bruising to her arm and cuts to her wrist following an incident with the officer in March of last year, said the decision ‘beggared belief’.
She even received an apology and a bouquet of flowers from chief of police George Le Page, who stated that PC Allan’s conduct towards her ‘fell well below the standard that the community of Guernsey and myself expect’.
Guernsey Police declined to comment at this stage.
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Get the fool out!
A police officer is meant to represent law and order, not tarnish it.
I totally support the Chief of Police’s stance. In the meantime keep him in the station where he can’t do any further harm.
As for the ‘panel’ who decided he can keep his job, get rid of them too.
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It does seem a bit silly. Surely anyone he tries to arrest from now on will cry Assault.
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I think its a disgrace him being reinstated, I was under the impression that you could not be in the force with a criminal record and assault is a crime.
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Hear, Hear mike
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How can this be right?
The Police should uphold the law not break it and be allowed to continue to upholding it!! Its no wonder the public of Guernsey have no respect for the Police and can’t retain its staff.
This ‘officer’ should hang his head in shame and do the honourable thing and resign now.
I feel sorry for Mrs Holt, how will she feel now?
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Unbelieveable!
How long before this is turned into an episode of the SIMPSONS.
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If I applied as for a WPC position and had a recent common assault conviction would I get in?
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A cop with a criminal record ? Ha ha ha ha ha ..Whatever next?!
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Donkeys life..more like Monty Python !
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just goes to show who is running the police force in guernsey, not the man in charge. the fact that politicians are making the decisions shows a police state is present. someone should resign, the convicted officier,surley he can`t want to continue,,, the politians,they should not be allowed to continue,,, the chief officer, no longer in charge of his force but on a nice salery. i wait to see who goes first..
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The previous comments are from people who have not been in possession of the full facts of the case. The findings of the Magistrate in the hearing are in the public domain and I would urge you all to read them.
This is an officer of integrity who was convicted on the basis of a legal ‘loop-hole’. He was working professionally, and was seeking to prevent a serious incident by detaining the female. His only crime was that he did not arrest the woman. The criminal trial acknowledged these facts and agreed that this is an officer of integrity.
The losers here are the members of public who might in the past have got off with a ‘warning’. The case of PC Allen has proven that officers can’t afford to give warnings because then they can be convicted for assault by using force. If officers arrest a person they have a power to use force (which constitutes an assault). Rational course of action for officers in the future = arrest.
So, I wish PC Allen well. Personally, I think it a disgrace that the Police Chief has given a bunch of flowers to this woman. He should be standing by his officer and explaining the true facts to those who have not read the trial details.
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Totally one sided.
If you look at your original report even the magistrate said that it was an error of judgment by the office and it was a technical assault and there was no malice intended, as he did not arrest her first,but for all you out there the police have changed there procedures so now they don’t have to arrest you first before cuffing you, bringing it in line with the UK, so who do you thing was in the wrong, certainly not the officer but the out of date police force.
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Are you Guernsey people seriously going to believe, and comment on a story printed by the Guernsey Press, its got about as much credibility in factuality as the Daily Sport! So unless you are sure of the facts from the people involved perhaps you should reserve judgement. It could be you the press turn on next!
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You all talk like you have experianced policing this island.
You scorn an officer who has not only served his country as a soldier, but served this island as a good police officer.
The job of a police officer is the most difficult, you have to take on so many faces, you have to be firm but fair, you have to be sympathetic but at the same time imparcial. Officers are sworn at spat at and assaulted on a regular basis, and they still turn up for work and go out onto the streets and take more, why? because they are proud of what they do and feel a sense of pride in what they do. When this assault is reported it is reported in such a way that it looks as if this officer seriously assaulted this woman, he handcuffed a person who he deemed out of control, his only mistake was not arresting her, if this had been done this would not of even made the courts, or this paper. he did not bundle her into the rear of a police van, or beat her up, HE HANDCUFFED HER. I agree this is not pleasent for anyone but none the less as agreed by the magistrate in the case, an assault at the lower end of the scale. I applaud the decision to re-instate the officer and would advise our islands politicions to leave matters to those who know best and to stop looking for public votes for there next election. leave this officer alone, let him learn from his mistake and place him back where he belongs, back on the streets, doing what he loves.
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Policing is policing wherever you go and sometime it is necessary to use reasonable force on people if the circumstances dictate that. Although I do not know the full details of this case, other than what I read in the Press, I can only imagine that the officer involved was just doing his job.
Is George-Le-Page going to buy flowers and send cards for everyone who now jumps up and screams assault?
For the record, I have been a Police Officer for 15 yrs and have served in London, Guernsey,Bristol and now in Canada so I know poor management when I see it!
I feel sorry for the “street officers” in Guernsey as they clearly have no leadership to follow.
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HAS GUERNSEY GONE MAD!! WOULD YOU TRUST HIM NOW ,
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Why did a police officer that large have to restrain a granny with handcuffs and then call for back up ?
Makes the whole local police force a laughing stock, now he has been re instated.
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i am disgusted at this!
i work in an office and if i go to court for so much as a parking ticket i lose my job! this bloke assaults a woman gets found guilty then told “its alright mate you can have your job back” nice one!!! yeah right!
and the police wonder why no1 respects them! respect us first dont you think?!
i feel so sorry for that poor lady, its awful! how can she go out knowing he’s still working! and still assaulting people probably!
what next, the prison will close and all the criminals just left to wonder the streets!
good old Guernsey, one rule for coppers and states members and other rule for normal people!
this is where the police think they are better than us, typical!
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