by Oliver JJ Lane
The UK’s top cop seemed unable to control his temper when asked about growing concerns opver two-tier policing in the United Kingdom, lashing out at a journalist on Monday morning.
Sir Mark Rowley, the chief of the Metropolitan Police, London’s police force and the most senior in the UK, appeared to lose his temper at a journalist on Monday morning as he was questioned about the quality of response to recent incidents of public unrest including riots in England.
The top police officer was pictured stepping out of the Cabinet Office in Westminster, the central convening department of the British government where he had just attended a meeting of the ‘COBRA’ emergency response group chaired by the Prime Minister. As Rowley stepped across the pavement, a Sky News Journalist asked: “Are we going to end two-tier policing, sir?”.
BREAKING: Commissioner of the Met Police Sir Mark Rowley has been seen leaving the Cabinet Office in Westminster.
As he left, he was asked a question about two-tier policing, but Sir Mark grabbed the journalist’s microphone and dropped it to the ground.https://t.co/sSlOq3trXp pic.twitter.com/tbcyehnADf
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 5, 2024
Rowley seemed somewhat affronted, and in an unguarded moment grabbed the journalist’s microphone as he walked past and dropped it to the ground. Having dodged the question he then broke into a trot as he moved away from pursuing photographers and across the road to his official car.