1 June 2005

This is my Handgun, there are many like it

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ABC online have this story on a Canberra policeman being sent back to college for handgun retraining after not following AFP policies and practices during an incident in Wanniassa in January this year.

Just remember POA = centre of seen mass, and he shouldn’t miss again.

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God bless the civil libertarians.

It is not good enough that the police have had to use lower case letters on their vehicles with the word ‘Police’ because all caps is too intimidating, now they can’t carry guns? God forbid the day you or any one dear to you is put in a situation where you are totally reliant on the police and their guns, then my friend you may pull your head out of your ass and realise they are there for a reason.

As VG mentioned earlier those who criticise loudest are the ones that have absolutely no concept how much crime is in Canberra.

“if you want the police in that situation you want them armed and you want them quickly.”

unless you’re the criminal of course

Which raises the question of how do criminals view Police being armed? Would they prefer they weren’t so they had the guns and the police didn’t. Or do they like Police having guns so that when they get in trouble with other criminals the Police can actually do something about it?

NTP do you think you can do a survey of crims to see what they think of Police being armed?

Like the NZ police eh. Firstly their Sergeants have pump action shotguns on board their patrol vehicles. Secondly if there is the potential a firearm may be needed they go back to the station and Glock up. I think the response time to a similar incident would be much quicker in Australia, and as Lurker Gal alluded to if you want the police in that situation you want them armed and you want them quickly.

Only to have the courts say ‘I know you have already been given a good behaviour bond, but if you continue to behave this way I’ll be forced to give you another one’.

Or as one magistrate in this town used to ask every defendant they convicted ‘has it cost you anything to come to court today’?

If I’m ever being threatened and call the police intervene, I don’t want them running in to save me yelling at the perpetrator “Stop or I’ll… say “stop” again”.

Worked City Beats for 5 years. Not quite that dramatic as I’ve never worried about getting a thrashing from anyone, but the guns are far more relevant for all the reasons discussed above

My police officer mate tells me his beat stories. Basically, two cops can often face the reality that they will get a thrashing at the hands of a drunk booner with a bit of go in him. Thats when they need a gun, to avoid getting their brains dashed across the pavement.

I’ll raise the backup issue with him and see what he says.

Be my guest.

JB, probably the most sensible way of putting it I have seen, well said. May I use that one?

In the UK population density lets them keep really heavily armed reaction squads within a few mintues of any location.

it makes a lot of sense but we don’t have those population densities here.

Our police have to be able to cope without backup, so they need to be armed.

Take note of what happened on Monday morning. If Police had not negotiated over the barrel of a firearm they would have had to apprehend an angry man with a Tomahawk and a knife with a baton. Which probably would have resulted in much more serious injuries than occured.

What would you suggest David, some harsh words?

G

the ones wandering around Heathrow with MP5s and vests are indeed your average flatfoot, albeit posted to the airport

I’m no expert and I’ve never been to the UK, but a copper with a specialist weapon like that was probably not your average flatfoot. But I agree with the point you make.

i saw uk police walking the streets with mp5’s and vests. dont sell me the ‘english bobby and his truncheon’ myth.

that was in an age before mainland ira terrorism.

Based on the argument that ‘other countries’ don’t require the fuzz to be armed, we can cast our eyes to countries where the coppers are using water canon, rubber bullets, ‘bean bags’ and CS Gas to control civil disturbances.

Should we be taking the lead from other countries? Personally I think Australians are the expert on what Australian law enforcement requirements are. Too often do Aussies cast our eyes OS to see what the neighbours are up to.

Our cops carry guns to protect themselves and the non-insane public. The fact is in Australia we have very few people ‘accidently’ shot or injured by Police being idiots with their firearms (with the exception of Victoria).

In Summary; If it aint broke, don’t fix it.

Next time someone waves a knife at a copper I’ll keep that statement in mind. To dispel this myth about certain o/s Police forces having no guns you may actually want to know what the procedures these jurisdictions use when there is even the remotest possibility of weapons being involved. They send armed offenders squads, like SO19 in the UK. These squads are armed to the teeth etc etc.

Now what would you rather, that sort of response, or simply having Constable Plod with a handgun.

The sad thing is those kinds of statements are usually made by people who’ve never seen an angry man in their lives. I’ve gone through a lot more training in the use of a firearm than 99.9% of the motoring public has in the use of their cars but those people still drive.

I’d rather see every copper in the world carry a handgun for self-defence, than see 1 die because they didnt have one.

P.S. The poms do carry them, its not all ‘The Bill’

David Heidelberg4:22 pm 01 Jun 05

Frankly I think that it’s ridicules that police even have hand guns in this country.

The Poms and Kiwis get by without them, what do we need them for?

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