DAC Rose Fitzpatrick, Superintendent John Sutherland with Tim Westwood

In September this year, MTV announced that as part of its “Force for Good” initiative, it had launched the Metropolitan Police’s powerful anti-knife campaign, Operation Blunt, which aims to educate young people about the consequences of carrying a knife. The first 60 second TV campaign launched and scheduled to run for a fortnight across all MTV channels.

MTV says that through “Force For Good” it offers to match advertising investment pound for pound for organisations who seek to promote social good:

“The initiative aims to use the power of TV to help address key societal issues, demonstrating that the medium can and should be deployed more expansively to positively change behaviour on potentially life-changing issues.”

Angie Pollacchi, TV Planner and Buyer for Met Police campaign at advertising agency MediaCom, added:

"MTV is unique within the TV landscape in that it allows The Met to cost effectively target a London youth audience without having to resort to cost prohibitive terrestrial TV macros. The additional value provided by the force for good initiative will aid the Met police considerably in the campaign objective of raising awareness of the far reaching consequences of carrying a knife."

Nick Bampton, managing director at Viacom Brand Solutions (VBS), MTV's sales house, added:

“This is a vital campaign and we’re very passionate about getting involved. MTV can use its position as the mouthpiece for teenagers to raise awareness of knife-related crime and bring issues that affect young peoples’ personal safety and wellbeing in to the spotlight.”

This, of course, is not the first, nor would it be the last, time the Met Police had got into bed with MTV. On Monday 27th October 2008, the Metropolitan Police revealed that a former police riot van had been ‘pimped’ for a London based youth charity. The unique partnership, it announced, aimed “to engage with young people to foster a greater understanding and counter increasing concern about youth violence in London.”

Pimped up for real, blood

The ‘pimped’ vehicle “has been jam packed with music-based state-of-the-art equipment including a fully functioning recording studio, a mixing desk, pro-speakers and subs, three wireless laptops and a digital video camera. It also includes a sound proof booth for vocal recordings, which holds pro-mics, headphones and an electric guitar. The van will also be used as a stage where young people can gain performance experience.”

The van will feature in a future half hour special presented by Pimp My Ride UK presenter Tim Westwood. Philip O'Ferrall, Vice President Digital Media MTV UK, said:

"Using the popularity of the Pimp My Ride brand creates a high profile way in which we can go into local communities and help to make a positive change."

"The initiative will have an impact in helping to reduce violence, and the van provides the opportunity for young people to talk, learn new skills and gain experience that they can apply to everyday life."

The charity involved says the van will be used by young people across select London boroughs including Southwark, Lewisham, Bexley, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich and Islington. These boroughs, according to recent figures, have large concentrations of young Black men. The charity’s chief executive officer Patrick Regan declared:

"The newly 'pimped' van will add a fresh dynamic to our work with London's youth. We are looking forward to extending our work in the community arts in this innovative way, helping even more young people explore their creative potential."

Yet throughout the development of these deals and the subsequent campaigns that follow, neither the Met Police, nor its advertising agency and the benefiting charity involved, it appears, saw this coming, until yesterday. MTV was accused of hypocrisy, for juxtaposing its so-called force for good alongside the gangster rap music that has made MTV into a household phenomenon apparently available in 21 million homes in the UK alone.