Home› Politics & Debate
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options

Lucky bastard - baton round used on potential bomber

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Politics & Debate
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7238309.stm

Lucky bastard - suprised they didn't use lethal force

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They may well have done an analysis of him and thought he was likely to just be a nutter rather than an actual terrorist, thus the plastic bullet rather than a live one.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just listen to the drivel that the police spokeswoman came out with - "The incident was brought to a safe conclusion at about 2355 GMT when firearm officers discharged a baton round. The man was arrested and taken to York District Hospital where he is receiving treatment for minor injuries sustained in the incident."

    I'm sorry... they "discharged a baton round"? And people wonder what's wrong with the police...
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Flashman's Ghost wrote: »
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7238309.stm

    Lucky bastard - suprised they didn't use lethal force
    Maybe some lessons have been learned after the De Menezes atrocity.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote: »
    Maybe some lessons have been learned after the De Menezes atrocity.

    I doubt it, if he had been on the Tube they probably would have shot him dead, he was wandering about pretty much by himself in the open and shouting, so they probably thought he was lower risk.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I guess the irony is that De Menezes wasn't shouting anything, claiming he had a bomb or even have a rucksack or anything else where he could have been hiding one.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Just listen to the drivel that the police spokeswoman came out with - "The incident was brought to a safe conclusion at about 2355 GMT when firearm officers discharged a baton round. The man was arrested and taken to York District Hospital where he is receiving treatment for minor injuries sustained in the incident."

    I'm sorry... they "discharged a baton round"? And people wonder what's wrong with the police...

    You do discharge a baton round though.

    (And as an aside I hate it in films when the archers loose the volley of arrows to the command 'fire'. It didn't come in until we had firearms and cannon)
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    baton rounds still hurt anyhow :shocking:
  • Options
    Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    z- wrote: »
    baton rounds still hurt anyhow :shocking:
    Yeah, but they don't open holes, so if you die it will probably be from a heart attack or because you fell on a pike.
  • Options
    SkiveSkive Posts: 15,286 Skive's The Limit
    A rubber bullet to the head can be lethal.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    countless people killed by these things over here

    .. bearing in mind they're supposed to be shot at the ground infront of people and hit them after bouncing .. but the police had different ideas!

    saw my brothers mate get hit in the balls the other year .. i would NOT have fancied that :no: :nervous:

    EDIT: link: http://www.relativesforjustice.com/?cat=37
  • Options
    Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    I got hit in the chest by one, once, which had bounced of a wall. It probably wasn't as "strong" as the ones the police use though.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    eh? i cant see why anyone other than the police would have a gun that fires baton rounds?

    and they're actually plastic not rubber .. they ditched the rubbers for plastics as they hand a tendancy to be inaccurate and bounce all over the show (funnily enough).. it would hurt if someone threw one at you nevermind shot ya with one usin a gun

    heres a pic to compare them .. the current ones are a slightly different shape but just as painful and dangerous .. its really hard plastic!

    img_plasticbullet.jpg
  • Options
    Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    z- wrote: »
    eh? i cant see why anyone other than the police would have a gun that fires baton rounds?
    Target practise.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    still doesnt make much sense .. rubber bullet won't be similar to a normal bullet in many ways id imagine?

    ah well lol :shocking:
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    z- wrote: »

    img_plasticbullet.jpg

    Don't they sell those in Anne Summers ?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aren't they counted as 'less lethal' rather than 'non-lethal' though?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To be honest unless they knew the bloke, or found out that he was actually a nut-case and not a terrorist, shooting him with a non-lethal round is a very dangerous way of doing things. There's a reason why police marksmen are trained to try and shoot suspected terrorists in the head, whilst a baton round might put someone to the ground, it won't stop them triggering a bomb, neither will a bullet in the limbs or torso.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I would imagine they did it because he was in the centre of the bridge entirely isolated - as the story says everyone nearby was already evacuated. So given the only damage was likely to be to the bridge I guess they just took the chance on the bomb not being real and not having any hair trigger.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    I would imagine they did it because he was in the centre of the bridge entirely isolated - as the story says everyone nearby was already evacuated. So given the only damage was likely to be to the bridge I guess they just took the chance on the bomb not being real and not having any hair trigger.



    Fair point
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    I would imagine they did it because he was in the centre of the bridge entirely isolated - as the story says everyone nearby was already evacuated. So given the only damage was likely to be to the bridge I guess they just took the chance on the bomb not being real and not having any hair trigger.

    Indeed. Also obviously this sounds like an attempted suicide by cop - screaming that you have a bomb and dancing around in front of the police just isn't terrorist protocol at the moment. So the Menezes comparisons are wrong really. Though the police do usually comply fatally with these suicide requests.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    By the looks of the picture there was not any people around anyway? So since there was not a big threat to the public they probably did not use lethal force. If it was a crowded area i think it would have been a different story
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know the place and it's normally relatively busy but 9pm on a sunday night nearly everywhere is deserted anyway.

    You get a lot of nutty people though, there was that guy a few years ago who got his katana out and started running at some armed police. Unfortunately when it comes to that the police only have one option. In this case it's good they managed to bring the suspect into custody without any loss of life :)
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MattLiverpool wrote: »
    What's wrong with that?
    Well, I would have far more confidence in the police had they said something like this;

    "On Saturday night, police officers were called out to a location in which a hysterical idiot was shouting away, saying he had a bomb. Even though we were pretty sure this guy was just a moron, we took no chances. The incident was brought to a safe conclusion just before midnight, when firearm officers shot him with rubber bullets. The man was then arrested, and taken to York District Hospital, where he is receiving treatment for minor injuries. We hope to question him in connection with the event very shortly".
Sign In or Register to comment.