Question for Brits about British Police

Well, to say that you would up the stakes if you'd have cops carrying guns as a rule, and that that is why they don't want to, could be considered keeping up a certain image and using social programming. So is saying please and thank you, respecting other people's property, and not killing your neighbour out of fear you might be punished.

Sorry, but I think that if the cops in America were not armed with anything other than clubs and pepper spray...and the bad guys did not carry guns either, the cops would still be getting assaulted 24/7.

Basically every inner-city arrest would develope into an attempted cop beat-down. The only thing that keeps criminals from resisting even more than they already do is the threat of being shot.

Once word got out the cops didn't have guns, gangs of thugs would go crazy, throwing bricks and rocks at the cars, dropping things on cops heads,luring cops into ambushes, etc.

Seeing shooters walking through shopping centres at 8a.m. makes me feel anything but "safer"

You Brits are doomed when the zombies get uppity.

Since when did "token heavily armed guy" make it to the end credits?

:tarmafire:

A golf club. It is very unlikely that anyone breaking into my house will be packing heat. If he's got a knife or some kind of chib then my golf club can go to combat with him. If the extremly rare chance occured that he had a gun, i would calmly step aside and tell him to help himself.

Just to get a point accross, our cops are not pussies. I would imagine that every brit on here knows at least one police officer who have told them horror stories about the beat down they hand to the crims in the back of the meat wagons on route to the station.

OK...
Pepper sprays are illegal. Hasn't stopped me carrying one when I've felt it was justified - f'rinstance, when a rapist was prowling the local streets - rest of the time, I carry a small can of hairspray and have my keys poking though my knuckles.
It is true that the vast majority of our police don't want to be armed. And given the fuck-ups when they do carry arms, I'm heartily relieved to hear it.

There really isn't the same gun culture here that there is in the US. Nearly all those that need guns can have them - properly licensed - the only ones that really suffer are Olympian handgun shooters, who have to go abroad to train. Gun crime, it pains me to admit, is restricted to a very small section of society - young black men - and the rest of us, not being affected, don't really want to see police culture changed for that reason.

I hate being at an airport and seeing a British copper armed. It's just wrong.

Our cops don't need hand guns. I'm sure if the time came when it became neccessary for police officers to be armed with something more than a baton and pepper spray, they will get the adequate equipment.

No, beating a prisoner after they've been subdued "in the back of the meat wagons" is the very definition of being a pussy.

It would land me in jail, and rightfully so.

Indeed...

Well, if you wanna go down that route, so is wailing (whaling?) on them in cuffs, or delivering a more-than-one-on-one beatdown. Or only taking up a challenge because you're better armed and have the law on your side. Basically, any time you're not hanging your ass out as much as the other guy.

Indeed as well.

One they're restrained, the game is over. If they're cuffed and they still resist, you use force just long enough to hog tie them. After that, they won't be any trouble and I can't, in good faith, lay an angry hand on them. As for using help, well, I can't help it if I'm smarter than them.

One of the happiest memories of my young adulthood was going to a TRB gig with half a dozen straight blokes who all joined in 'Glad to be Gay' at the top of their voices....

It's ok, they are British.

Interesting anecdote about the difference between some European police and American police.

I was once fortunate enough to attend a seminar taught by and then have lunch with a Dutch Inspector. Very sharp guy. During lunch we were talking about tactics and he commented that he despised the American's use of a short barreled shotgun. The exact term he used was "barbaric."

One of my cohorts pointed out that one round of 000 Buckshot basically held 6 pellets that would be the equivalent of getting hit with 6 .38 Special rounds at once, while Dutch police carried 9mm Sub-Guns with a far higher rate of fire. We then asked about the difference in the number of rounds fired in a lethal force encounter.

The Dutch Inspector said that they usually fired between 20-45 rounds over there. I spoke up at this point and pointed out a neat fact from the NIJ. In the United States, lethal force encounters by police, using a shotgun, average 1.2 rounds fired per incident.

In short, ain't no man ever been built gonna walk away from 2 rounds of 000 Buckshot. I Bertha.

Jayne did okay for himself.

Poor, poor Wash though . . .

So when confronting armed crminals does the Bobby on the Beat just says something like, "stop! or I'll say stop again!" or something?

By that time, they've already got twelve different camera angles on him, not to mention a cross-referenced DNA sample and a plaster casting of his taint. He ain't getting away.

Thing is, on the very rare occasions that a British plod faces an armed criminal, armed units are called in.
As I say, we don't have the gun culture. We could all wish our officers had better stab-proof vests, but guns really ain't that big an issue...

Just an interesting article to toss into the conversation. You all may not have a "gun culture" over there, but sense you banned lawful ownership of firearms, your gun crime numbers have doubled...

I'll accept that it doesn't happen all that often, but that's just...stupid, unless they can be there in under a minute, 'cause chances are, it'll be over one way or another in 45 seconds.

You'd think, wouldn't you? The only thing I can suggest is that when young, black blokes aren't involved, intelligence must tell, because the armed police always seem to be there ready...
The only other exceptions I can think of is when a siege develops, and then the police have plenty of time to get into position...

There are a few Armed Response Units (ARV's) driving around the city at the same time.



See these around my neck of the woods all the time.