Let’s talk about BBC

[Beebo]

Whenever this sort of "reporter uncovers ... arrested" I ask myself how reporters can find these people or evidence the Police were unable to find. Raises questions in my mind about the capabilities of policing.

Journalists have more freedoms.

UK police can’t just go snooping around in other countries without permission.

How would we like it if foreign police were working in the UK without permission.

 

[AuroraSaab]

Perhaps UK police can only operate undercover in a foreign country with permission from that state or local police. The protocols and bureaucracy of this would mean they couldn't respond quickly to tips off or leads that journalists, who operate without restrictions, can.

Edit: once again, someone has beat me to it as I was typing.

The same is true of things like the recent BBC vape shop investigation. The police don't have the flexibility (or sometimes the inclination) to pursue these stories.

 

[Pross]

That's a fair point. There also appears to be very few breaking stories about surprise police investigations though.
It's taken Grenfell 10 years and the evidence is staring them in the face.

My guess would be there has been a lot of interference and that the CPS haven't been very supportive on that one. That said, having watched the dramatised version of the John Worboys case on TV recently (my daughter had her 15 seconds of fame in it), I was staggered at the mess they made and couldn't believe that was around 20 years ago rather than the 1970s with the ineptitude / victim blaming. As I side note, I hadn't realised until watching that Carrie Johnson was one of his victims (and one of those who waived her right to anonimity to publicise the case).

 

[Pblakeney]

Journalists have more freedoms.

UK police can’t just go snooping around in other countries without permission.

How would we like it if foreign police were working in the UK without permission.

Recent stories all entered within the UK.

 

[briantrumpet]

Good observation from Sam Freedman

 

[briantrumpet]

Haha, I've checked, and it's true. And the photo rather sums up Mason's approach to political reporting.