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Name withheld, Derbyshire Constabulary: I feel that the British police force are being taken for… mugs! I see. Why do you feel like that?
The way we’re being treated is disgraceful. The police will never be the same. We have no rights. We can’t strike, we can’t do anything. The government expects us to roll over and accept these cuts. It’s disgusting. We’re not going to give up. I then asked her if she feared being kettled by the on-duty police, but the joke went completely over her head. Some Occupiers were there. I was unsure as to whether they were there to show solidarity with their fellow 99 percenters, or to harass them for continually telling them where they can and can’t pitch their tents. So I asked one.
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Chris, 46, unemployed: Absolutely.Don’t you feel any ill will towards them given the level of political policing that has been happening recently?
I don’t feel any ill towards any individual police officer. It’s not the individual police officer who is bashing you across the head or spraying you with pepper spray. They’re one of the 99 percent, exactly the same as everyone else. The creeping privatisation of all our public services is wrong! Would I get better service out of Serco and G4S? Absolutely not.When the police were clearing the Occupy camp, were they part of the 99 percent then?
No, they weren’t. I’m conflicted, I must admit. I can’t pick and choose which public services I support.

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Graham Cole: Indeed, yeah. I worked with the guys and gals for 25 years while I was researching The Bill. As a member of the public, I just want to see police officers on the streets. Would this have made a good episode of The Bill?
No, not at all! We would never have been able to organise it! We did Notting Hill Carnival one year. That was absolute hell on legs to shoot. Hell! On! Legs! I don’t know whether the TV execs would allow any of the Sun Hill characters to be protesting. Politically, it might have been a little bit difficult. I still think it’s important for me to be here. They supported me really well when I was there and it’s something that the public are very aware of. Is it a cut too far? When you see the riots, they didn’t have enough guys. Every head here is represented by a cut police officer. Having played a police officer, do feel like you can empathise with these guys?
I only played one, so I knew the felon was always going to give up at the allotted point, so it’s very different. I get quite a lot of police officers coming up to me saying that they joined up because they used to watch The Bill. It’s a huge accolade to the programme.

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