Political correctness, hate speech

The police here are being bashed for trying to prosecute some TV producers (and, when that failed, trying to get them "watchdogged"):

Channel 4 has been vindicated by the media watchdog Ofcom after police complained about an investigative programme that exposed extremism in British mosques.

West Midland's police had faced criticism for targeting the producers of the show rather than the controversial preachers depicted in it.

Police claimed that the Dispatches programme had misrepresented the views of Muslim preachers and clerics with misleading editing.

Following today's ruling, the Channel 4 called the police's actions "perverse" and said they had, in some people's eyes, given "legitimacy to people preaching a message of hate".

Can I ask: What are the police doing enforcing political correctness? Why did they feel they needed to get involved one way or another? See, this is what happens when you muddy the free-speech waters with "hate speech" laws. A television show airs undercover footage of nasty things being preached in mosques (read the article for more detail). You then end up with police trying to 'target' the producers for making the preachers look bad, and thereby for the offence of "stirring up racial hatred" against Muslims. So, not the nasty preachers, but the TV producers who tried to expose them. Is all that clear? Furthermore, what would happen if a Christian preacher was filmed giving a sermon filled with blatant hatemongering against Jews and homosexuals? You can bet the police would be going after the preacher.

How about this: The police should get out of the business of enforcing political correctness and perhaps spend a little more time solving actual property crimes, for example, like burglary and vehicle theft. My neighbour had his bicycle shop broken into, and merchandise stolen; the police didn't even show up. He had to go down to the station and fill out some paperwork, and that was the end of it, as far as he knows. There isn't even a presumption that the cops will bother with an actual investigation, and that's just sad.

Perhaps the police should forget about all their surveillance technology, and all this thoughtcrime nonsense, and get back to the old fashioned business of police work. You know, walk the beat. Know the people in the neighbourhood, and by extension, what's going on in the neighborhood. Show up when a crime is committed. That sort of thing.