'The thug in police uniform'. (Daily Mail today)

Freddy Patel has been found to be unfit to continue as a pathologist. I find it highly suspicious that his wrong findings were so convenient for the police. I wonder whether any further investigation will take place, but I won't hold my breath.

It's heartening to know that it can work when, and I agree that people need to be willing to speak out if they feel safe to do so. But it's important to remember that many professionals may whistle blow either openly or secretly but get absolutely nowhere. Some of PC Harwood's colleagues may have been among them.

I think I have had a couple of good experiences of whistle-blowing nightowl. one investigation resulted in a dismissal despite an attempt to close ranks, when the policy was invoked after a manager didn't respond, and another complaint that wasn't investigated when it should have been resulted in a resignation a week after a colleague blew the whistle. The policy has to be robust and give fine detail about the process and safeguards for the employee, should they need to complain elsewhere if their employer doesn't act. The culture of the organisation needs to be open to whistle-blowing, otherwise no-one is safe, I agree.

You are not, no-one would think that , you like many other folk here are just putting across your point of view

I don't want to take over yet another thread about this subject (honestly) but Butternut and Greatnan are right about the risks whistleblowers face. Not only that - in my experience it doesn't actually work. Concerns are ignored, complaints are not investigated properly and managers close ranks. It is quite possible that other Police Officers had expressed concerns about this man but had not been listened to.

One of the best policies I got very familiar with when still working was the Whistle-Blowing Policy.' Having seen people like Nurse Graham Pink suffer when he outed dangerous practice in a Stockport hospital many years ago, my local union pushed for a policy that would be helpful to employers, employees and the public, and we managed to agree one with a group of civil servants who realised that this policy would work for them, too.

I subscribe to a newsletter about whistle blowing from Public Concern at Work. Private Eye also reports many examples of the pressures put on people who try to expose inefficiency or corruption. If you don't think it is happening , you are burying your head in the sand.

Good post when.
In my 'other' life as a professional, there were times when I had to break a confidence, to protect another. I made it clear that this would be done, explain how and why it would be done, and then instigate it.
A firm grounding in Ethics made it easier.
Unfortunately, the term whistle-blowing can be seen as having a negative impact upon the person 'whistling' - and as gn says - the risk of losing jobs and careers is very real.

Same with judges!

I'm afraid I have bitter personal experience that not all doctors 'out' their incompetent colleagues, and so do at least another dozen women.
Whistleblowers run a grave risk of losing their jobs and their careers.

Anyone who keeps silent about corruption, abuse or violence needs to think about what they are colluding with by remaining silent. There is always a way for professionals to tell if the prospect of doing it openly is too daunting. We are quick to condemn harm done in the church and I struggle to see why other trusted professionals should be excused when they won't tell.

That's a bit naive!

We expect priests, doctors, judges, etc, to have the courage to 'out' bad colleagues - so why not the police?

OH YES

Agreed. I think that explains why they don't. Sad but true.

Their life would be hell afterwards!

Excuse the pun perhaps they think they"re breaking rank

What really upsets me is that the other policemen present, the good ones, do not come forward to give testimony against him.

Thanks all for the welcome, looking forward to more discussions.

I don't understand how anyone can get heated about the word 'kids'. Does it matter? Can't we all have our opinions without getting heated? Perleaseeeeeeeeeeeee.

Think there was a miscarriage of justice re the Tomlinson case. The guy was clearly walking away from the police when attacked. If that was not a policeman and a civilian with that history i really believe the outcome would have been guilty. There are some really wonderful policemen, many very ordinary ones and some idiot officers! the idiot ones need to be weeded out.

The use of kids is not offensive to me. I believe there is some minor snobbery about the use of some words.. e.g. it is not 'nice' to to say kids/ta/ bum/mum etc better to say children/thank you/ bottom/ mummy etc But more important things in life to get exorcised about..like idiot police officers!

Welcome Jane. Looking forward to chatting more to you.

soop I wondered if I had written something ambiguous, but I can only read that I was glad to escape the PC fascists that read the worst into everything that their working colleagues would say, if they had an opportunity to agitate by claiming to be offended. Nothing about Gransnetters on there

Wellcome my Internet is playing up and I can only get on occasionally

jane I'll second Jess - and welcome -

Tru jane a rare event - normal group dynamics have now been resumed.