Post Office inquiry

[hughnique]

Predictable!!

[Pathca]

I wouldn’t like to give anyone a nasty surprise

[niemeyjt]

I appreciate that it is probably very important to anyone directly involved in the situation, but it is already beginning to bore the RS of me, headline news, so there can't be anything happening elsewhere. I found the interview with the Post Office investigator somewhat reminiscent of my days as an engineer in a large building next to the old Bailey, typical armchair detectives they could not run a piss up in a brewery, they, the IB, Investigation Branch, tried with the assistance of my manager at the time to set me up with a trap to entice me to relieve one of the catering organisations in the building of a quantity of alcoholic beverages, bottle after bottle laid out for my benefit. The room where this snare was set had one of those green housey large skylights in the ceiling, and as I walked in the room as requested by my boss, you could see them all up on the roof peering through the opaque glass to see if I would take the bait, no such luck, amateurs.

That sounds like attempted entrapment - maybe you upset someone - but it is quite different to the PO issue.

Imagine instead you were called into the room with 10 bottles on the table and your manager says the computer says you have 12 and asks where the other two bottles are and accuses you of stealing them.

J

[hughnique]

maybe you upset someone -

Who me, has been known I suppose, yes I do get the gist of the Post office enquiry, and the importance of it's outcome for many people, but was merely expressing my view and the fact that, as usual, it gets more than it's share of air time, especially when we are subjected to constant repetition, as was indeed the case with the Covid enquiry. My further observation on my experience with the Post Office investigators was merely an illustration of the calibre of the operatives who are engaged on this section. It still amazes me that someone did not turn round and say hold on a minute, since this new computer system came on line we have had a huge increase in the amount of shortfalls, are we now catching the embezzlers or is there a problem.

[niemeyjt]

The specifics may not affect you, this time - but the principal is a failure of British Law that might affect you (or your family), next time - that a private entity was able to destroy lives by acting as victim, investigator and prosecutor.

The CPS was set up many years ago to prevent the Police from also being prosecutors - yet this situation was even worse.

The Post Office was acting within a legal framework that needs to change (ditto RSPCA).

[Pathca]

My friend and her husband both ex detectives were shocked to hear that the PO conducted their own investigations and how poor those investigations were

[hughnique]

Certainly able to put your trust in the UK police they don't fit people up, do they??

[tagh]

Given that this scandal has been running for any number of years, I am surprised that other organisations have never been up to dirty tricks.It is after all a disease of the Establishment out of control, largely under the radar of politicians. Which would also include the NHS, local government, the Forces……. the list goes on.

[rabbit]

But it wasn’t under the radar of the politicians. They were made aware of the situation but put it into the “too difficult and too costly” folder. It is really pathetic how the politicians are now that a TV drama has bought the calamity into public view that they are posturing and hand wringing and shamed into action.

[exile]

Given that this scandal has been running for any number of years, I am surprised that other organisations have never been up to dirty tricks.It is after all a disease of the Establishment out of control, largely under the radar of politicians. Which would also include the NHS, local government, the Forces……. the list goes on.

Decades. I heard this am that Computer Weekly raised issues with the Horizon system in 2003!

If large organisations find internal issues, there is a tendency to try and sweep them under the carpet. In possible answer to @rabbit and his earlier comment about Post Office employees at main post offices not having been found to have errors, when wrong doing real or perceived is identified, the frequent course of action is to confront the individual, ask them to remedy any losses and request that they resign. All very hush-hush until an internal announcement that J Bloggs has decided to resign and to pursue his career elsewhere. The reasons for this are many but two key ones are public announcement can have an impact on share value - or public perception for non-listed organisations and secondly it reflects badly on the "miscreants'" managers - many of whom will have been judge and jury.

So are similar things happening elsewhere? you bet. Look at treatment of whistle-blowers in organisations such as the police and NHS. Is it all down to politicians? No, but they must shoulder some of the blame, if not a lot in the caser of Horizon