Copaganda

I learnt a new word today: copaganda. It’s when you try to change the news agenda to protect the reputation of the police, and it’s happening just now over the trial of rapist, murderer and police officer Wayne Couzens.

This is from Sky News:

“It’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

A senior investigator on Sarah Everard’s case, former DCI Simon Harding, says police officers “do not view” Wayne Couzens as a police officer and he “should never have been near a uniform”.

That’s blatantly untrue. As Jonathan Crenshaw points out on Twitter:

Couzens was hired *after* his earlier behaviour came to light. his force  nickname was “the rapist”. he was part of an elite unit, had a warrant card and a gun. he was respected.

It also appears that his colleagues gave him sufficient time to clear his mobile phone history before knocking on his door.

The police would like you to focus on the idea of Couzens as a bad apple in the hope that you don’t remember the rest of the saying: one bad apple spoils the barrel. There is a huge problem of dangerous men working for the police and the Met would really rather you didn’t think about that. Portraying Couzens as some kind of lone wolf is an attempt to evade responsibility.

 


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