PIERS MORGAN: Defunding the police is a bats*** crazy idea fueled by celebrity hypocrites that will make America more dangerous and help Trump get re-elected just when he looks finished (13 Pics)

In the past two weeks, we've seen the very worst of police work in America, and some of the very best.

The worst manifested itself in horrendous graphic detail with the slow, contemptuous murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin in 8 minutes and 46 seconds of horrific brutality.

But in its aftermath, there have been numerous other appalling incidents across America, captured on camera phones for the whole outraged world to see.

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The very worst of police work in America manifested itself in horrendous graphic detail with the slow, contemptuous murder of George Floyd. He was killed after Derek Chauvin left his knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds of horrific brutality

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In the aftermath of George Floyd's death, there have been numerous other appalling incident. In Buffalo, 75-year-old man, Martin Gugino, was roughly shoved to the ground by two officers in riot gear and then left bleeding and unconscious on the ground

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But we've also seen the some of the very best police work. Officers took a knee in Washington D.C. on Sunday after being encouraged by protesters, with one DC police officer saying he 'respects what they are doing'

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At protests in Queens, New York, NYPD officers could be seen kneeling with protesters after being invited by a pastor. Protesters then recited names of black people who had died in conflicts with the police

In Buffalo, a 75-year-old man, Martin Gugino, was roughly shoved to the ground by two officers in riot gear and then left bleeding and unconscious on the ground.

In Salt Lake City, another elderly man with a walking stick was knocked over by police as they cleared protestors away.

In Indianapolis, officers were seen beating and firing pepper spray rounds at a black woman.

In Austin, a 20-year-old university student reportedly suffered brain damage and a fractured skull after police shot him with beanbag rounds.

In Philadelphia, another student was beaten on the head by one officer, and had his face kneed to the ground by another.

In New York, two NYPD SUVs mowed down protestors standing behind a barricade, knocking many of them to the ground.

In Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed, police and National Guard soldiers were seen marching through a neighbourhood shooting paint canisters at people standing on their front porch.

The media have also come in for dreadful treatment by police, with numerous incidents of reporters and TV crews covering the protests being fired at with rubber bullets, leaving one photo-journalist partially blind after she was hit in the eye.

So, police brutality is very real, and not just confined to black people.

But there's no doubt that black people in America suffer from it far more than white people.

Google the names of Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Rodney King, and you'll read about a litany of despicable police conduct towards African-Americans.

Google the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor (right), Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Rodney King, and you'll read about a litany of despicable police conduct towards African-Americans

Tamir Rice (left) and Michael Brown (right) were both killed by police officers

The killings of Eric Garner (left) and Philando Castile (right) showed police brutality is very real in America

The stats don't lie: black people in the US are three times more likely to be killed by police than white people, and the police who commit atrocities rarely get made properly accountable for their actions; a staggering 99% of killings by police from 2013-19 have not resulted in officers being charged with a crime.

Even George Floyd's killers weren't charged until public outcry reached fever pitch.

So, it's not surprising there have been renewed calls to 'defund the police' from those most targeted by police brutality and most dismayed by the lack of justice when it happens.

Campaigners, led by organisers of the Black Lives Matter and Movement 4 Black Lives groups, say the whole police system is broken, and the only solution is to now scrap it and reallocate the billions spent annually on it to community public services prioritising mental health, education, housing, employment.

They've been loudly supported by left-wing Democrat politicians like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Ilhan Omar, and by many celebrities including Lizzo, John Legend, Common and Jane Fonda who all signed an open letter calling for a defunding of the police.

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George Floyd's killers weren't charged until public outcry reached fever pitch. So, it's not surprising there have been renewed calls to 'defund the police' from those most targeted by police brutality and most dismayed by the lack of justice when it happens

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Campaigners, led by organisers of the Black Lives Matter and Movement 4 Black Lives groups, say the whole police system is broken, and the only solution is to now scrap it and reallocate the billions spent annually

Campaigners who want police defunded been loudly supported by left-wing Democrat politicians like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (right) and celebrities, including Natalie Portman (left)

One of the signatories was actress Natalie Portman who posted a lengthy statement on Instagram to explain why: 'When I first heard #defundthepolice,' she wrote, 'I have to admit my first reaction was fear. My whole life, police have made me feel safe. But that's exactly the center of my white privilege: the police make me as a white woman feel safe, while my black friends, family and neighbors feel the opposite: police make them feel terror. And for good reason. Police are the 6th leading cause of death for black men in this country. These are not isolated incidents. They are patterns and part of the system of over-policing of black Americans. Reforms have not worked. Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered, is one of the most progressive police forces in the country, having undergone extensive anti-bias training. I am grateful to the leaders in the @mvmnt4blklives who have made us question the status quo. And who have made us imagine, what a world could be like in which we invested in nourishing people; (in their education, healthcare, environment, shelter)— rather than putting all of our money into punishment. I've gotten to the age in my life, where if my gut feels uncomfortable, I take the situation as wrong. But this concept initially made me uncomfortable because I was wrong. Because the system that makes me feel comfortable is wrong.'

Portman was swiftly backed by fellow actresses.

'Beautifully said!' gushed Ellen Pompeo.

'So well said,' agreed Olivia Wilder. 'Thank you, Natalie!'

Hmmm.

I'm afraid my gut had a rather different reaction when I read Ms Portman's clarion cry to defund the police.

This, surely, is celebrity virtue-signalling at its most laughably hypocritical?

All these stars live in secure protected homes.

Most of them employ expensive bodyguards or even full security details.

It's very easy for them to sit safely in their mansions and tell those who can't afford such luxuries that they'll be just fine without the police around.

But the truth is they won't.

I share the disgust at what happened to George Floyd, it was the single worst example of police brutality I've ever seen, and it demands real action now gets taken, not just yet more predictable exclamations of temporary horror.

I also think the police must be dramatically, institutionally reformed.

But getting rid of the police altogether is frankly a batsh*t crazy idea.

Yet this is exactly what Minneapolis city council is now planning to do in the wake of George Floyd's murder happening on its watch.

A veto-proof majority in the council announced that they plan to 'dismantle' the police department and build a new system of community-focused public safety.

It admits it doesn't really have any clue how this will actually work.

'We recognize that we don't have all the answers about what a police-free future looks like, but our community does,' said the council members at a community meeting. 'We're committed to engaging with every willing community member in the City of Minneapolis over the next year to identify what safety looks like for you.'

Power to the people then.

Well sorry, but I think this is complete madness.

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In Los Angeles, Police Chief Michel Moore and officers from the LAPD's Harbor Division joined several hundred participants who chanted 'Black Lives Matter!' in a unity march

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LAPD police chief Michael Moore is seen walking with a Black Lives Matter protester

This may not be a popular view right now - but I believe the majority of police officers do a good job; they're brave, diligent, and care about protecting people, not killing them.

Yes, there are sadly all too many bad apples, just as there are in every industry, and it's absolutely vital they are held to account, justice is done when crimes have been committed, and the culprits made to rot in jail.

To achieve this, it needs other officers, the good apples, to root out the bad ones – not line up behind them.

It was astonishing, and depressing, to see 57 police officers in Buffalo resign from the force's emergency response team following the suspension of the two officers who shoved 75-year-old Martin Gugino.

Why did they not share our horror at what happened?

'Fifty-seven resigned in disgust because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,' Buffalo Police Benevolent Association president John Evans explained.

Sorry, what?

They had 'orders' to shove over elderly men, leaving them fighting for their lives in hospital?

If I got an order like that, I'd refuse it.

By resigning, those other 57 officers are effectively condoning what their colleagues did, and that only serves to further damage public perception of the police.

The most effective way the police can reform is to pursue the path many of its number have pursued during the George Floyd protests: less is more.

We've seen at first-hand how disarming it has been when police officers have taken the knee or stood aside and let people protest in peace, when they've shown compassion and empathy not just a baton.

In Fort Worth, Texas police joined forces with protestors who told them they would go home if officers joined them in a show of solidarity. The two groups then shook hands and even exchanged hugs before leaving the area as promised.

At protests in Queens, New York, NYPD officers could be seen kneeling with protesters after being invited by a pastor. Protesters then recited names of black people who had died in conflicts with the police.

Officers also took a knee in Washington D.C. on Sunday after being encouraged by protesters, with one DC police officer saying he 'respects what they are doing.'

In Los Angeles, Police Chief Michel Moore and officers from the LAPD's Harbor Division joined several hundred participants who chanted 'Black Lives Matter!' in a unity march.

At another protest in Griffith, Indiana, police officers helped make protestors hot dogs and Police Chief Greg Mance took the knee with them.

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At another protest in Griffith, Indiana, police officers helped make protestors hot dogs and Police Chief Greg Mance took the knee with them

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Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg (left) and Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn (right) foreground right, kneel with protesters 

In all these instances, violent clashes were avoided and mutual respect and trust was gained.

Forces and officers should be less aggressive and 'proactive' where it isn't entirely necessary.

Think this sounds weak and guaranteed to increase crime?

Think again.

In 2014 and 2015, New York police staged a 'slowdown' to protest against the mayor, Bill de Blasio during the ferocious fallout from a jury failing to indict officers involved in the fatal chokehold of Eric Garner in Staten Island.

They believed that if they did less police work, the city would be less safe.

But, fascinatingly, the opposite turned out to be the case.

When the officers stopped 'broken windows policing', meaning targeting low-level offenses, crime dropped.

Researchers reported that the slowdown, which went on for a few weeks, resulted in 2,100 fewer major-crimes complaints.

'In their efforts to increase civilian compliance, certain policing tactics may inadvertently contribute to serious criminal activity,' the researchers wrote. 'The implications for understanding policing in a democratic society should not be understated.'

The police remain a vital corner stone of any democracy.

At their best, they keep order, protect the public, and save lives.

They're not all like Derek Chauvin and the public knows this.

That's why recent polling on race and justice in the US found less than a fifth of Americans want police funding to be cut.

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Defunding the police is not just a bonkers idea that will make America more dangerous, it's also political suicide that will get Trump re-elected

However, the same polling revealed a strong majority of Americans support police reform measures to reduce deadly force encounters, including training for police on how to lower conflict and avoid using force, more body cameras, and using an early warning system to identify problem officers.

Senior Democrats led by Nancy Pelosi are also pushing for a ban on chokeholds including putting a knee to someone's neck, and no-knock warrants in drug cases of the type that led to an innocent woman, Breonna Taylor, being mistakenly shot dead in her home.

There's another reason why liberals should be very wary of backing defunding of the police.

As former Bill Clinton adviser Douglas Schoen wrote in The Hill: 'If Democrats persist with this rhetoric about disbanding law enforcement in the midst of the pandemic and the protests, which have at times been violent or involved looting, then they will be playing right into the hands of President Trump and will increase his chances to win the election this year. Ultimately, calling to reduce the police will simply make people feel unsafe, insecure, and in my view less likely to vote for Democrats.'

He's right.

Defunding the police is not just a bonkers idea that will make America more dangerous, it's also political suicide that will get Trump re-elected.