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Mr Cook, a self-employed roofer, was informed that staff at the centre in Gosforth, Newcastle, believed his new MOT certificate to be fake because it was a lighter colour than the old one.
He was taken to a nearby police station where he had to give a DNA swab, was fingerprinted and photographed, then placed in a cell.
Now, I know that the DVLA can check almost instantly whether an MOT certificate is valid or not. They must be able to do that because I renew my tax disc by phone and that process includes them checking my insurance and MOT electronically.
So the staff at this centre must have known that Mr Cook had a valid MOT, but still chose to call the police over a questionable piece of evidence – and the police must also have known that the MOT was valid, but still decided to waste time and persecute this man on the basis of the most flimsy suspicion?
Next time someone tells you that if you’ve done nothing wrong you’ve nothing to fear from the proliferation of intrusive databases, monitoring and surveillance by the state – think about this incident. A man arrested because they didn’t like the colour of his paper.
So, why did the police have to arrest this man? Was that really necessary? A bit of common sense and a couple of phone calls would have sufficed to determine that the MOT was genuine, but I’m not convinced that they even had to go that far.
As soon as they arrived at the DVLA centre a quick word with the staff, a 30 second check on the computer – problem solved. Mr Cook gets his tax disc, the police get on with something more important and the DVLA staff don’t get to look like complete dickheads in a national newspaper.
Also his DNA is now permanently on the police database whether he’s guilty or not.
Who was it recently telling me that “If you’ve done nowt wrong, you’ve nowt to fear?”
Whats he got to fear ? There was a mistake… tell you what lets scrap all databases and if some rapists or paedophiles get off thats much better than someone being treated civilly down the local nick
What makes me the most uncomfortable is the fact the police can take a DNA sample and store it indefinitely upon your arrest – even if you are never charged.
This has led to the UK having the world’s largest DNA database of its citizens. If you do nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear, right? Well, perhaps – it still makes me uncomfortable, though.
@pete wrote:
Whats he got to fear ? There was a mistake… tell you what lets scrap all databases and if some rapists or paedophiles get off thats much better than someone being treated civilly down the local nick
So it’s ok for the police to keep innocent peoples DNA on databases then……………….just in case?
The mistake was that he was on a database and they didn’t check it leading him to now be on a completely different database one that he should not be on but can’t get off, ever.
Ian huntley was on a database of offenders, oddly enough that was missed too.
It’s fine by me, they want a sample of my DNA they can have it (long as it dont hurt)
@pete wrote:
It’s fine by me, they want a sample of my DNA they can have it (long as it dont hurt)
Its painless Pete you just have to open wide :) mouth that is
Well it makes a cracking good story doesn’t it? Shami Chakrabarti must be incoherent with outraged indignation by now. But just stop and think for just a wee moment.
Doesn’t it occur to you that maybe, just maybe, the Media is only reporting a part of the story for maximum outrage and effect? I have a suspicion that there is a lot more to this story than presented. Did this builder simply present his MOT, smile politely whilst it was queried, offer his explanation in a reasonable way and so on, and maintain a calm and helpful attitude throughout?
What could have happened to make the DVLA staff call the Police? On their arrival, what could the builder have done to cause him to be arrested and taken to a Police station? His DNA won’t have been taken unless he had been suspected of committing a criminal offence. I wonder what that criminal offence could have been?
Yes it is a great eye catching story, but my instinct tells me that there is a lot more going on here than the Media have reported.
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