It does seem pretty absurd. But I'd rather live in a society that has the time, resources and a dedicated role that can investigate this kind of triviality than one that couldn't.
Nice blog by the way.
What you can say is, it's time that police commanders were directly accountable to the local communities in which they operate.
Currently, senior officers have no incentive to provide the service the council tax payers expect; their rewards are based on how closely they follow the latest fashions in PC thinking emanating from central government.
The report *is* a bit absurd, yes. Haven't heard so much fuss about a coat since La Boheme. But it also makes a kind of sense:
(a) Other crimes may be more serious, but they're more difficult to prove, too. Here (apparently) the evildoer handed 'em the thing on a platter. Money for jam, from the Crown's POV.
(b) When an evildoer brags about it, one can't ignore the thing, or folks will cry "favoritism" and other cynical things, and lose respect for The Law.
(c) The involvement of an '80's pop star guarantees free publicity--always gratifying.
(d) This may be stretching it, but attending to this particular sort of crime might be good press for the UK overseas, at a time when it could use it, owing to hard feelings over other things, like the War in Iraq (and I'm not trying to start a discussion of *that*; I'm just saying).
I share your pain and all that, but.
To me it is plain that it is right to pursue people that violate laws protecting certain species - so it is not necessarily just about a 'coat' (despite crap evidence).
However, it does seem priorities have become skewed. The police have become, publicly, involved because a 'member of the public' notified the police about a potential crime and this 'crime' has featured in certain news outlets.
There is no urgency attached to this case. It seems to me that the police (or, rather, the most senior police) are desperately trying to be seen to be socially relevant and progressive.
I do not want a sexist, racist or socially insensitive police force but stunts like this contribute nothing (heard the one about the offended gay police horse?).
From tehgrauniad:
Police have seized Celebrity Big Brother contestant Pete Burns' "gorilla" coat after a flood of complaints from viewers.
I can't say whether rich's suggestion is practical or not, but this is what a vocal section of the public asked for.
Could also be a publicity stunt from the Big Brother company just to keep the programme in the news. I wonder if every complainant had absolutely no connection with the programmes?
For once I disagree with you, bystander. Yes, it's a coat, but gorillas are severely endangered, and if the moron in question had been wearing a coat made of one, they should have thrown the book at him.
It's not such a trivial crime to encourage poaching (which often involves the violent deaths of human rangers) and hasten extinctions.
I agree an awesome waste of police time. I'm still waiting to hear if the Cambridge CCTV picked up the guys who bopped me behind the ears or who raided my neighbours house...
I think it's important that there is at least one Wildlife Officer doing his best to protect the few remaining gorillas in the world by enforcing CITES.
Preventing the extinction of a species, especially one so closely related to us, is fractionally more important than finding out which junkie stole Mrs. Wallace's purse.
Seems ironic that the police were given access to the house to get hold of a coat which may or may not have come from the skin of an endangered animal, however a solicitor trying to serve papers on Barrymore in connection with a civil case about his involvement in the death of that bloke in his pool was refused entry. Glad they still have their priorities right.
Some men hunt for sport,
Others hunt for food,
The only thing I'm hunting for,
Is an outfit that looks good.
See my vest, see my vest,
Made from real gorilla chest,
Feel this sweater, there's no better,
Than authentic Irish setter.
See this hat, 'twas my cat,
My evening wear - vampire bat,
These white slippers are albino
African endangered rhino.
Grizzly bear underwear,
Turtles' necks, I've got my share,
Beret of poodle, on my noodle
It shall rest.
Try my red robin suit,
It comes one breast or two,
See my vest, see my vest,
See my vest.
Like my loafers? Former gophers -
It was that or skin my chauffeurs,
But a greyhound fur tuxedo
Would be best.
So let's prepare these dogs,
Kill two for matching clogs,
See my vest, see my vest,
Oh please, won't you see my vest.
I think that it is wholly fitting that such a vast array of services were utilised in bringing this heinous crime to fruition. After all the police now operate on a BB style of response. Let the the public vote on which crimes they want to be dealt with and Devina will sort it out on Friday, when she will dipatch 3 specials, 5 PCSOs, a Beat manager and a voluteer to deal with the problem. Hoorah for practical policing!!
PS Please refer to the policing food chain by PC Copperfield on Coppersblog (sorry for the plug).
Anyone want to take my bet that Mr (Ms?) Burns sues the seller over misrepresenting the goods, on some sort of "You promised me Orang-Utan or higher" basis? Aaaaaanyone at all?
Ah synchronicity. Pete Burns arrested for having a 'gorilla' coat, R Mutts 'poem' is a song by Mr Burns of The Simpsons fame going on about his wardrobe of clothes by endagered species.
Also why is it that Police only seem to investigate crime that has appeared in the National Papers first ( Kate Moss)or on television ( Pete Burns).
Donncha, I would think that Mrs Wallace would argue otherwise.
I fail to see the point.
There are many officers in job specific roles, So a wildlife officer looked in to a complaint..
Sorry to point out what our job is.
We look in to complaints.
Woe betide the time when we say
"cant be bothered with that - "
Imagine the outcry
Lowlife officers maybe, but Pondlife officers could get into trouble:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
art...1986258,00.html
Police face sack for ‘insulting’ a criminal - Sunday Times - Times Online
From:
http://www.coppersblog.blogspot.com/
The Policeman's Blog
since when did the police get to decide which job is more important than any other?
I have attended some very odd, and some might think trivial jobs in the past, and thought "what am I doing here? Has the world gone mad?" But I guess the point is - Its important enough to somebody, for them to make a complaint about it.
The police act on complaints, and it is often a cumulative thing, the more complaints, the more action.
At the moment Gorilla populations are in crisis and there is a real danger that they will disappear completely forever. Gorilla poaching for meat and fur is a major factor responsible for this so I do not view it as trivial. If Pete did pay for a gorilla coat then he paid for some poachers to help to drive one of out closest relatives that little bit closer to extinction.
Gotta disagree with you on this one. If the "Wildlife Officer" wasn't dealing with this "Wildlife" issue, then he wouldn't be doing his job. Certainly there are many terrible things happening that the police could or should be investigating, but here was a bad thing that could be investigated quickly and easily. So why on earth not?
Poaching is a serious issue in many countries throughout the world, a lot of the time because rich, stupid westerners are willing to pay for something and don't care where it came from or how it was sourced. If we have any sense of responsibility to these countries or to endangered species at all then we should occasionally put our resources where our heart-bleeding concern is.
As someone who has to work within the rules of CITES (with regard to plants, in my case), I'm all for its rigorous enforcement. I think the issue here is not about the triviality or otherwise of the crime, but about the fact that the DEFRA departments and HMCE people that deal with these issues are woefully under-resourced.
So some people here, because they feel sorry for a cute, furry animal, think the police, rather than go out and stop ordinary people's lives being made misery by criminals, should, instead, use their resources to check out the material of a coat.
It's so nice to discover the esteem in which some people hold their own species.
If Pete Burns had told his housemates he had some dope he was going to smoke later I don't expect the police would have raided the place....
damned if you do .....damned if you don't.
Now let's move on shall we..
Firstly, gorilla poaching kills people too. Many rangers and their families have been murdered to get at gorillas.
And secondly, I hold my species in very high regard, thank you, but the extinction of the gorilla would (will, if some of the attitudes here prevail) be an irreversible tragedy.
Louise, can you provide any references to rangers (let alone their families) being killed "to get at gorillas"? I can only find one reference from 2001, and that was by Hutu militants who may have had a deal of human blood on their hands as well.
Anon, it's got nothing to do with cute, furry animals (honestly, you don't have any knowledge about gorillas if you think the monika of "cute" can be applied to them), it's to do with the enforcement of internation treaty obligations relating to conservation of endangered species!
Should the police not investigate a complaint about shop lifting because they could be spending more time on mugging, or on mugging because they could be spending more time on murder? Check your logic out - there's always something "more serious" to deal with.
The IUCN produced a report in 2003 entitled 'Protecting the Protectors: addressing the increased threats faced by rangers'. I haven't yet found an online copy. However, there is a newspaper story about the report at
http://www.mg.co.za/
articledirec...articleid=29291 which details some more recent deaths of rangers (not specifically gorilla rangers) at the hands of poachers.
I have to admit that further searching hasn't turned up any hard evidence for the 'and their families' bit: ISIRTS (I'm Sure I Read That Somewhere) and will keep looking. Until then feel free to ignore it.
But the point remains that illegal trade in endangered species endangers humans as well as other species. I doubt we spend very much on Wildlife Officers and it's good to see them doing their job.
leaving the gorilla to one side for a moment......
You said that you had been "forced to adjourn a number of cases", etc.
Would it not concentrate their minds a little for the future if you simply dismissed rather the adjourning when this happens?
Hey, stop picking on the Wildlife Officer. No doubt this valued officer has been moved there as he was found to be too ill, or sick, or incompetent to do frontline duties, and so the job had to be created. You wouldn't want someone fired just because they are utterly useless at the job they are hired to do would you?
Footnote: To Sgt Barlett, the Wildlife Officer in question. Apologies if this is a complete slight to you. If that is the case then i apologise in making you an innocent victim in my attempt to make the point.
Pat:
We kicked two into touch this very morning!
Gorilla coats....they would serve to restore the worlds Gorrila population.
The more demand, the more captive breeding.The more breeding the more Gorillas, it has worked with cows,sheep,goats,turkeys and chickens.
If however, breeding Gorillas for fun and profit is not your cup of tea. Then how's abaht keeping them as family pets, the house training would be hilarious and the evening walk a howler.{Please video the proceedings.}
{NB: Please include a before and after picture of your home.}
You crazy English ;you make me, as you say "crack up". You care more about an animal in Africa than you do about a child being abused next door.
It's a publicity stunt, Pete Burns must know how unpopular he'd be if it were really gorrilla. It's probably the very nice fake fur you get these days, but I don't see that wearing the coat of an endangered species is remotely trivial. Of course breaches of CITES should be severely punished. I think something that could result in the extinction of a species is at least as important as investigating a burglary.
I've yet to hear of any successful attempts at gorilla farming, which is precisely the point. This isn't about cruelty (personally, I have no problem with farmed fur), it's about extinction, and about fulfilling our international obligations to prevent it.
Please drop the old "you care more about animals than people" chestnut. Conservationists care about people; they want these animals to be around for future generations - of people - to enjoy.
Yes, child abuse is a more serious crime. Nobody said it wasn't. However, nobody suggests that the police should ignore burglaries because child abuse exists.
Dear Louise,
How many gorillas would you kill to save your child? (If you had one, do you?)
There are people out there that must ask and answer this question for real.
I would kill all the gorillas if it was required to save my children.
Hypothetical question, of course, but try and answer it.
If you own a laptop or a mobile phone or any other electric device that uses the new long life batteries which contain 'coaltan' then you are killing both lowland and highland gorillas by proxy! The coaltan miners send all their money home, so that their children can eat, and they survive on bush-meat(aka gorilla). They ask and answer my above question! This takes place in The Congo, I was there for 6 months and saw it first hand.
Gorilla tastes like chicken, by the way!
What has any of that got to do with it? Nobody is condemning anyone for killing gorillas in order to keep their children alive. The celebrity-I've-never-heard-of was suspected of doing so (by proxy) in order to have a trendy coat.
The question here is whether it is worth police in the UK enforcing the law as regards trade in endangered species products.
It is none of your business whether I have children.
Testy little sparker!
'It is none of your business whether I have children.'
But Ms. Prism, it might be. I could very well be your OBS/GYN. I have over 350 'clients', after all.
Tnuc - These blogs are about educated debate and conversation, not trying to upset one another. The fact is no person in this country needs to wear the skin of an animal that could in the very near future be extinct. If you are starving, then to kill a gorilla to eat is acceptable. For you, who only probably felt peckish, who has not the first idea of being really hungry and to have voluntarily eaten this wonderful animal, that should be an offence.
Also if a person makes a complaint to police, then it HAS to be investigated, no matter how trivial. This is what the public want, and it's because of this that the police are stretched way beyond the capabilities and the imagination of any magistrate. Some of the silly and bizarre things that magistrates request police provide in court doesn’t help either. Don't get me wrong I am not a champion of police, but I do detest hypocrites.
Colobus monkeys aren't an endangered species but it was alleged that the coat was made of gorilla skin. Gorillas are classified as endangered by the Endangered Species Act and are on Appendix I of CITES. WWF and TRAFFIC are highlighting the involvement of organised crime in the trade in endangered species and endangered species products. Just because it's a Big Brother issue doesn't mean it's trivial.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/news/
n_000..._0000001752.asp
Pat/Bystander - You don't dismiss cases to make a point. That’s why we have idiots on the street that think they are untouchable. The two of you need to grow up and think about the consequences of your actions.
Thanks for the link, Louise. I certainly agree that making the hunting of animals illegal does tend to get humans killed.
maleanonmeister said "These blogs are about educated debate and conversation, not trying to upset one another."
maleanonmeister said "The two of you need to grow up and think about the consequences of your actions."
In my country this is known as "shooting yourself in the foot".
Very true sam_m. Pleased you take time to read my words. Have a good day.
maleanonmeister,
'These blogs are about educated debate and conversation, not trying to upset one another.'
I agree! So why are you upset?
'For you, who only probably felt peckish, who has not the first idea of being really hungry and to have voluntarily eaten this wonderful animal, that should be an offence.'
Do you know me? I spent the first 16 years of my life in perpetual mal- and under-nourishment having been born black in what is now Eritrea.
I never lost my sense of humour though.
Tell us: How many gorillas would you kill to save your loved ones?
'In my country this is known as "shooting yourself in the foot".
sam_m | 01.21.06 - 11:16 am |'
Same in my country, Sam_m, same in mine!
Sam_m you need to calm down. None of us here know each other, it's about educated debate and conversation, not trying to upset one another. Didn't have any knowledge of your past. Must put my hands up to a lack of education though, I didn't relise there were gorillas in Eritrea.
There are no gorillas in Eritrea. There are gorillas in The Congo though!
'Sam_m you need to calm down'
Why would you say this? He has only commented once, (and been quoted by me once), and is not in a 'non-calm' state! You must concentrate on those little gray lines that separate individual comments.
Louise doesn't have children. Betcha.
What's really scary about BB is that the police were allowed in to confiscate Mr Burns coat, yet the lawyers tring to serve the private prosecution against Barrymore (related to the "mysterious" death of Stuart Lubbock) weren't.
Won't be any gorillas left in the Congo if you keep eating them Tnuc. What confuses me is, if they taste just like chicken, why don't you eat chicken. Gotta be a lot cheaper and then you can help save an endangered species???
To Sam_m... Sorry
I never realised how many unpleasant people there were until I started reading Haloscan blog comments.
A lot of them come out to play here it seems.
Tnuc you can't count - Sam_m posted twice.
Oh and what's the idea of posting a link to your blog that doesn't exist?
You will know that I have editorial control over these comments, but I won't delete anything that is merely intolerant or obnoxious because that sort of thing tends to fade in the bright sunlight of a public forum.
I would be obliged if the waspish stuff could be toned down, so that I can leave my blue pencil in the drawer.
Guys. It's OK. I've only posted once and the way Tnuc copied my comment has led to some confusion.
maleanonmeister: I took your response to my comment to be good-hearted and I hope you remain so.
Nigel: An education in unpleasantness awaits you on the net. Should you choose, you could progress it by visiting yahoo.com clicking on a news story and then reading the discussion board that follows. There are more extreme places to visit but those boards are quite an education.
Tnuc: By one of those quirks that puts us all seven handshakes away, there is a slender chance that in a time and a place far from here we were once neighbours.
Now there's a funny thing.
To be fair, my force has just 1 wildlife officer, whose full time job is to prosecute offences such as badger baiting, dog fighting, egg collecting and so on.
Being a single officer means he doesn't get to prosecute many offenders, and therefore the force doesn't prosecute many offenders.
To say a single wildlife officer pursuing a single case is a drain on police resources isn't really accurate. Of course, high profile coverage makes it seem that the police have their priorities all wrong, but on that particular day, I wonder how many other investigations and prosecutions were going on in that area, making this one insignificant if not for the "Big Brother" media frenzy.
Do you think he really believes it's gorilla?
He believes he looks good with artificially 'enhanced' lips and 8 tonnes of make up on, so he's obviously prepared to believe anything.
Fake Gorilla Eh!
Joseph must be really worried about his testicle coloured dreamcoat!!!!
Absoloutly ridiculous, just glad I don't live there any more.
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