A senior police officer has accused a regional daily of “inaccurate and misleading” reporting about his force’s treatment of homeless people.
Chief Supt Nev Kemp, Sussex Police commander for the city of Brighton & Hove, has hit out at Brighton-based daily The Argus, claiming he was given no right of reply to a story about the force’s policy on tackling beggars, in which it reported that a homeles man had been brought to court for asking for 10p.
Chief Supt Kemp has now made public an email he sent to Argus editor Mike Gilson criticising the newspaper’s coverage of the issue in recent weeks.
In the email, which was posted on Twitter, he states that The Argus terming plain clothes officers as being “undercover” is “wholly inaccurate” and claims the force had not been given right of reply.
In the initial piece, published on 8 February, The Argus reported police were being sent out to catch homeless people begging in Brighton, with more than one arrested every week.
It further claimed rough sleepers were being criminalised by Sussex Police operations to arrest and prosecute those living on the streets and desperate for small change.
The day afterward, The Argus published a follow-up in which Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas said she would be urging police chiefs to change their policy.
The policy was defended Graham Cox, a former detective chief superintendent in charge of Sussex CID, and a force spokesman was quoted in the story.
Chief Supt Kemp, left, said in his email to Mike: “I was disappointed to see the articles in The Argus regarding our approach to begging. The headline ‘Undercover Police targeting beggars’ is inaccurate and misleading.
“The subsequent article does nothing to correct this but perpetuates this inaccuracy. Sussex Police officers, focussing on the street community, have worked in plain clothes for more than a decade, describing them as ‘undercover’ is wholly inaccurate.
“Sussex Police was given no right of reply and so could not point out that our approach or ‘policy’ has not changed for years and is carefully considered in tandem with charities and other organisations who work with the street community in the city.
“Both of the Argus articles, unfairly, suggested the opposite.
“Sussex Police is a caring organisation, committed to keeping people safe and when we don’t get things right – as I said to you when we met – I am quite prepared to be challenged and welcomed this opportunity.
“As an organisation Sussex Police is committed to being transparent and so had you given us the opportunity to explain our approach to begging, you could have had a much more informative and accurate series of articles.”
Sussex Police has since released a statement on its website defending the way it deals with Brighton’s homeless community. Mike has declined to comment on the issue.
In July last year, Sussex police and crime commissioner Kety Bourne claimed her force was “compeltely transparent” after The Argus revealed its readers had been kept in the dark about 785 crimes committed during a fortnight-long period in March, following a Freedom of Information request.
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
The fact that people are forced to sleep rough on the streets in a country with one of the world’s top economies is the biggest criminal aspect of this whole saga.
Report this comment
If the police spent more time worrying about crime instead of what they call ‘the perception of crime’ that’d be a really good start. When my mum had her window smashed, my sister got beaten up, and my newspaper office had its lead roof stolen, each time we received a letter saying ‘we are not investigating this crime’.
When a newspaper colleague snapped some pictures of an arrest though (in a public street) there were coppers all over the place threatening to ‘seize the pictures for evidence’. An alarming number of coppers don’t know the law and are only interested in crimes that will improve their stats. If you got murdered or raped I dare say you’d see a couple of CID officers and they might catch the culprit – but the crimes which impact most people’s day to day lives – assaults, vandalism, thefts, car damage etc – they’re just not interested. I wouldn’t be bothered calling the police nine times out of ten now, unless I needed it for the insurance.
‘Speak to the press office’
Wibble
Report this comment
“A force spokesman was quoted in the story”
Surely that was their opportunity to comment?
Report this comment
The police do a lot of good keeping the streets safe so that journalists can sleep soundly at night in the better part of town. This is a fact that many reporters learn when they become press officers for regional forces.
The only mistake made here is by the Chief Superintendent referring to Argus editor Mike Gilson as “Dear Mike”.in his email letter.
The Commander for Brighton and Hove Division should refer to Gilson as “Dear Mr Gilson” and not be so familiar and chummy in the public eye.
Report this comment
Sounds like the local cops don’t like the new editor broom at the paper sweeping away their comfy old relationship for a newer, more realistic one.
Report this comment
Police speak: Beggars are now the street community.
Report this comment
If I was a tax payer living in Brighton I’d wonder how much police time and money was spent by Nev moaning on Twitter. I’d also wonder if he knows what right of reply actually means. Sounds like his complaint actually lies with the police press office
Report this comment
The Argus would have been better investigating why there are so many people sleeping on the streets of a popular seaside city instead of knocking the cops. The use of the word undercover betrays a lack of basic understanding of how the police work. Perhaps a month spent with the force might enlighten someone?
Report this comment
Reality Check, I’ve never met a journalist that lives in the better part of town, ever.
Report this comment
@ Reality Check
To back up what Jeff Jones has said, are you perhaps a little bit in the dark as to what reporters earn? Whatever gave you the idea that we earn enough to live in “the better part of town”?? I can’t think of any other professional, skilled job which pays as badly as local/regional newspaper journalism.
Report this comment
Jeff Jones:
You can’t be serious?
Report this comment
@ Reality check
Serious question – not having a dig. How much do you think local/regional newspaper reports in the UK earn?
Report this comment
Well done Mike Gilson. Proper journalism. When you hack off the forces of law and order you know you’re doing the right things. Drive carefully mind 😉
Report this comment
PS. I once had letters of complaint from Peter Mandelson, the chairman of the local Conservative Party and The Bishop of Durham ALL IN THE SAME WEEK. I honestly couldn’t have been happier that week
Report this comment
The police doth protest too much! They think tweeting about missing people is now the news. The news is what the authorities don’t want you to know – and the police are effectively Britain’s secret society!
Report this comment
Sorry, secret society funded by the taxpayer!
Report this comment
I went to the O2 Media Awards once with my team and there was a police car waiting outside breathalyzing people – good times.
The police used to cooperate well with the press and now they view the press with disdain, any coincidence this came after the police became more and more politicised. The top brass are Tony Blair clones more and more and they’re interested solely in spinning the figures their way, the press get in the way of that.
Report this comment
Golam Murtaza: A realistic average for regional newspaper journalists’ wages (discounting editors from the statistics but including weekly journalists) I would think the average salary to be around £17-18,000 p.a.
This is not a lot for a profession, but many journalists I know (and I have known a lot) certainly do live in the nicer parts of town.
This has been because they are careful savers, consistent workers, and their employment until recent times has been very regular and not affected by periodic downturns in the economy (unlike say plumbers and double glazing salesmen).
Young journos fresh out of uni and trying to shape a career in the big cities while living in digs traditionally had a rougher time. But they could soon get on the property ladder.
.
Report this comment
Fair enough, I do see what you’re getting at. And yes, that salary average seems about right from my experience. I was just objecting to any suggestion that we local/regional reporters are living it up in fancy homes in leafy, affluent suburbs. I’ve lost count of the number of people who don’t work in the industry who assume I’m on £30,000 or more.
Report this comment
I suspect those defending the Argus here have never been the subject of one of its stories. Its reporting lately has been spinning out of control. No movers and shakers have the faintest time for it while its readers continue to desert it in their droves. It behaves like it despises Brighton and the town is responding in kind. It is staggering around like a drunken old fart at his own retirement do, not caring a hoot who he offends, knowing he won’t be there tomorrow.
Report this comment