Edward Colston statue Bristol - what just happened?

I was rather shocked to see the Edward Colston stature in Bristol being torn down and rolled into the docks unchallenged on 7 June 2020.

Police action during high profile events is usually scrutinised and this was no exception. What’s surprising is that this time they received praise for effectively doing nothing while a crime was being committed. Even James Corden expressed his support to the Police via Twitter. This certainly helped deflect any criticism away from the Police and provided a good shield for senior officers to hide behind.

You can’t simply ignore criminal damage because it’s done for a good reason.

The statement issued by the Police claims they could not have got there in time and didn’t want to risk agitating an already angry crowd. This plausible response turned out to be rather convenient. I agree that in this situation, low profile Policing was a sensible approach. There was a strong possibility the feeling of injustice and anger would have boiled over and be directed at the Police.

However, I can’t help detect a tinge of sympathy to the ’activists’ from the tone of Superintendent Andy Bennett’s response. Read between the lines and it seems the Police don’t want to take any further action against the offenders unless the Council files a complaint. The Police had a good excuse not to intervene when they could have. It’s quite rare for the Police to stand by while a crime is being committed. The Police have skillfully batted the ball back to the Council to make a decision on whether they want to pursue a prosecution. The truth is that in the current climate no one has the stomach to do this. They will of course have to be seen to do something but I doubt the 17 ’suspects’ identified by the Police will have anything to worry about.

Emotions were running high and there was a strong sense of doing the right thing.  However the Police must remain neutral and respond accordingly if the law is broken. Would the Police response have been different if it was another historical statue or war memorial being vandalised?

The action of a minority of the protesters was understandable, but not justifiable. Imagine this happening every time someone felt strongly against something they didn’t like - it’s called anarchy and no one wants a lawless society. There’s no doubt that bureaucracy slows down change but it can be achieved without resorting to breaking the law.

Unfortunately for the Police, the decision not to act has had far reaching consequences which outweigh any negative press which may have arisen from stopping the statue from being removed. Organisations like the Police seem to be more worried about their public image and covering their back than getting the job done. Social media has made them afraid to act in case they're accidentally caught doing something questionable on social media.

We’re seeing a shift in society where things that were once tolerated, no longer are. Lead by a new young generation and supported by the older generation, who have borne the brunt of bullying, harassment, racism and sexism. Society wants and demands change. This is a good thing but in an ideal world should be achieved in a dignified and law abiding way, however long that takes. Maybe it’s time for local and central government to wake up and deal with it.