Are police too violent?

[SiM]

Just checking out some music videos on you tube, and I can across this. Awesome tune. Shocking video, not for the faint hearted.
I know its not as bad here in the UK as it is in USA, but I would imagine it still happens. It looks like people join the police (particularly in USA) just to beat people up. They seem to be enjoying it!
I'm sure a lot worse has happened off camera.

[Gr44]

Not sure about the music

Some of it is way over the top and very brutal.

Other stuff looks bad but you can't judge unless you know the context of why/how it happened at the situation etc.

Other stuff looks more than reasonable IMO.

You'll always have issues with people in power abusing it though, just the way the world works. In general you don't hear too much about 'police brutality' - not to say it doesn't happen, but I don't think it's a huge issue in the grand scheme of things. Atleast not in the UK.

[funke_munke]

I find it comedy that police seem to be able to hit/kick people when they are on the ground, yet usually (having worked for the crown and magistrates courts) if a normal person where to do this, alot of the time it's instant an instant GBH charge.

Some of that video is grim. I lived with a copper (was married to my mother back in the day), and I can say in all honesty he was a terribly violent person, and 90% of the guys he worked with were aswell. Classic meatheads. I had trouble with him myself but would prefer not to go into details :s.

On the other hand though, some of them were lovely! Like Gr44 though, I agree that the context of some of those clips needs clarifying before judgement is passed, although some of them are just disgustingly OTT.

[iranu]

On the two trips to the USA I would actually go out of my way to put as much distance as possible between me and any police officer I saw especially after I witnessed them detaining a bloke who was trying to have a sneaky bottle of beer on a beach during an impromptu gathering. Must have been about 40-50 people. Two cops drew their weapons and ordered this bloke to put the beer down, lie flat on his stomach with his hands behind his back. One of them then cuffed him while the other covered him with his pistol and then they marched him off to the car.

Totally unnecessary but in the US rules is rules and I find anyone who is in a position of authority in the US is a complete authoritarian nutbag who lets their power go to their head and abuses it. Only have to talk to US customs officers to get a feel for it.

Unfortunately the same style is starting to become more common in the UK.

[vinnyT]

Although the majority of that clip was of US police, there were Italian, French, German and British forces represented.

When large crowds gather together, violence (if it starts) is contagious and you get mob brutality. Unfortunately, the same applies to large gatherings of the police at say, a demonstration, where they may be facing a large crowd. I'm not excusing such behaviour, just pushing forward a reason why violent acts may occur.

[format]

In a word, yes.
More when I have time to reply

[SiM]

Even in a large crowd, 3 police officers holding one guy down while another rams him multiple times with the end of a baton, is way to excessive. Just handcuff the guy and move on! I don't think they get good enough training on how to minimise casualties!

[YorkieBen]

I would say no. Although police sometimes go over the top I think they do their job under very difficult conditions and with one hand tied behind their backs with the CPS and the culture that pervades larges parts of society that it is okay to verbally abuse/physically threaten a police officer (or any member of the public) and expect no retribution.

[JPreston]

My mate used to be a shopping mall security guard. Long hours, boredom and the prospect of being stabbed for nearly no money per hour combine into a situation where they would on occassion put the guards at Abu Ghraib to shame when dealing with repeat 'customers'.

This would be met with the tacit support, or at least indifference, of the police. They'd probably do the same if they could get away with it, but it's my view that they currently cannot, in general, too much.

So that's reassuring then....

[educatedfool]

Even in a large crowd, 3 police officers holding one guy down while another rams him multiple times with the end of a baton, is way to excessive. Just handcuff the guy and move on! I don't think they get good enough training on how to minimise casualties!

Well, atleast the guy knows not to do that again.

In the UK the police really aren't that violent. They get an endless amount of lawsuit threats by the scum they detain. They also don't carry firearms in the UK (except for here in good ole Northern Ireland) and when they do they are rarely ever withdrawn and nevermind used.

They also have to deal with the unknown, they don't know if the person is struggling to get a weapon out or to try and flee.

Yes some of the violence is uncalled for, but bear in mind the amount of s*** the police have to put up with. Maybe it's just because I'm from Northern Ireland and all I see (nowadays anyway) is the police stuck in between a scum vs scum battle that has been going on for a good number of years now.

[YorkieBen]

I agree it is reassuring that the police are not able to 'get away with it' re: excessive violence and force.

However I understand why it sometimes happens - the job is incredibly frustrating.

As a friend who is a copper said to me, when a member of the public spits in your face, tells you he has tb and aids and that he is going to rape you children, it is rather difficult to restrain yourself.

Something that he has to do on many occassions. That is why I often understand (but not necessarily condone) if a police officer uses excessive force.

And having seen what physical restraint/force a UK police officer is supposed to use on criminals I'm not surprised police go overboard because the stuff they are taught is so pathetic it is dangerous to them.

[Clunk]

3 police officers holding one guy down while another rams him multiple times

[Zadock]

I think you get two kinds of police officer; the kind that is in for the violence and power, in kind of a similarto the way some people become bouncers (i.e. just so they can kick the living daylights out of people weaker than themselves for little or no reason and lord it over them) and the kind that genuinely wants to help people... the latter generally ends up jaded within a couple of years.

[neonplanet40]

Having seen the way the police and army in N.Ireland were for years then i have to say that yea police join sometimes jsut so they can beat people up. Luckily its better now.

However americans are terrible. But really you should look up riot videos from the eaast and you will see some brutal police work there

[2Cold Scorpio]

I'm not advocating excessive police violence in any way, but why does nobody stop to think that if these morons who willingly break the law didn't break the law they wouldn't be getting their head kicked in? Hmmm?

Personally, I believe that if you break the law and willingly violate the rights of another against their own will, that you deserve no quarter. Once you've violated the rights of another you've lost any claim to any 'rights' yourself. But that's just me.

[usxhe190]

I'm not advocating excessive police violence in any way, but why does nobody stop to think that if these morons who willingly break the law didn't break the law they wouldn't be getting their head kicked in? Hmmm?

Personally, I believe that if you break the law and willingly violate the rights of another against their own will, that you deserve no quarter. Once you've violated the rights of another you've lost any claim to any 'rights' yourself. But that's just me.

Don't think anyone is arguing when someone willingly violate the rights of another.

More like how some police beat u up first and ask questions later (i.e. whether you have violated or not).