LinkBack URL
About LinkBacksthey should do, its a joke that they dontOriginally Posted by Punky
Yes
No
Unsure
Other - please state
they should do, its a joke that they dont
Trouble
Removed.
Last edited by grantr37; 01-05-2005 at 09:25 AM.
Yes, as long as they are trained properly.
Crapola my friend. An MP5 (Machine Pistol #5) is a sub-machine gun. It has a selector switch that allows single shot, 3 shot and continous (fully automatic). Watched a program last night about machine guns and spoke to me dad who has used to one at Heathrow.
The reason that fully auto is never used is that it is inaccurate and extremely dangerous in a civilian situation. In a public place such as airports you require accuracy and stopping power. The police will NEVER actually switch to fully auto.
I voted a big no. Now I've had lots of conversations with my old man who used to be an armed copper at Heathrow. He has fired just about every weapon on the planet and was fully trained in the use of firearms. Training even included the use of flash bangs etc.
He is very much against fully arming every police officer and so am I. The reasons are;
Gun crime would escalate massively. If the cops carry guns then EVERY criminal will get a gun to equal it up.
The puplic's perception of the police would be of an army rather than a force to serve the public. The public will be less trustful and less confident in approaching individual officers and the police in general. Look at the way the army is trained in the way they use Stance as a means of indicating agressiveness. A display of weapons is seen as agressive and a threat. Even side handled batons look menacing swinging from a belt. The old uniforms had an internal pocket for the truncheon. Militarisation of the police is not the way forward.
There will be an increase in police related shootings as even fully trained officers will react in the heat of the moment. The gun will become the first resort rather than the last.
The police officers do not want to be armed. 1995 survey said 79% don't want it. Ok 10 years old but the latest survey I know of. http://polfed.org.uk/polfed2.html
I agree that there are certain situations like St Pauls and Nottingham, Airports, Houses of Parliament etc where there is a potential threat, where visibly armed officers are necessary. However, carrying shotguns and sub-machine guns in police cars is asking for trouble.
Gun crime is extremely rare in the UK, the media hype it up because it sells papers - have you ever seen a real gun in public? Toughening laws does nothing to reduce it, it just cracks down on law abiding people. Criminals who carry guns will always do so.
Just had another chat with the old man regarding this and firearms in general.
You have to remember that a pistol is EXTREMELY INACCURATE in untrained hands. Most deaths of officers in the USA occur in the range of 10m. If I gave you a pistol and stood 20m away I would bet my life that you couldn't hit me with a 6 shot magazine. Seriously.
People are all too sucked in by the Hollywood image of guns. Blokes fireing semi-automatic pistols continously and hitting people running away at 50m is bull****. Ditto sub-machine guns. Anyone ever seen Jeremy Clarkson fire an AK47 at a mini-mpv from 20ft on full auto? Not a single round hit the car.
The only gun to be truly scared of is the shot gun. At 20m it has an 18inch spread. You have to AIM a pistol or a sub-machine gun. A shotgun you just POINT.
"Reality is what it is, not what you want it to be." Frank Zappa. ----------- "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." Huang Po.----------- "A drowsy line of wasted time bathes my open mind", - Ride.
They don't have the option.. The MP-5's carried by police have the fully automatic and burst selections removed and the mechanism modified. Fully automatic weapons can only be issued with the express permission of the Home Secretary. Don't believe everything you see on TV...
Other.
Only in some area's, but most area's of the UK don't need them. In my job I deal with the police on a regular basis. I have spoken to quite a few about this and most say they don't want too because a) they think more criminals will get hold of gun's. b) they don't want the responsibility of taking someones life. c) the very real danger of having there own gun turned on them. In fact some said that they would leave the force before having to carry a gun. However, they mostly work in area's with very low gun crime and I am sure many who work in high gun crime area's would like to. But there is very few area's in the UK that have and I agree they should have 'access' to them. There are actually area's of the US where many cops have stoped carrying them and cop shootings have gone down. But we can't compare to the US, guns are an integral part of thier culture. We should pride ourselves on being less gung ho than the yanks.
Iranu's point about the pistol is very valid. Whilst on a range practising with a Browning 9mm I decided to see just how far away I could hit a figure 11 target from. At 75 metres I was aiming several feet above the target just to get the round to hit the butts where the target was situated.
At the time I was a weapons instructor and also shot pistol at Bisley. I don't recall actually hitting the target that day from that range. To become proficient with any firearm is a skill that needs to be taught and then maintained. Using firearms in populated areas is a sure way to end up shooting an innocent bystander.
The police are not the army and should not be routinely armed. Specialist police for specialist situations: yes. Plod wandering down the road tooled up for the gunfight at the ok corral:no.
"You want loyalty? ......get a dog!"
a while ago, when clinton came to visit Blackpool I think. I saw the ARV parked up on one of the sidestreets, the officers were stood outside of the vehicle. One of them had a G36:
i also feel un easy around armed police if they are not "special" if you know what i mean.
Specially trained armed units fine, every policeman with one not good in my book.
Perhaps their should be more mobile armed units? im not really sure but def not
everyone having one.
Correct me if im wrong but in america they (the criminals) dont have to be armed for
the policeman to shoot them. I saw one of the those police chase type programmes
and someone just trys to resist arrest and the policeman said he was going to shoot
him if he didnt stop.
That is just insane if you ask me.
IM not from the U.K but the hell with cops . Let the british people own gun themself like they did not long ago and give british subjects the options of a gun carry license with out making rediculus hard to get. a character background and a decent gun training program. We here in the U.S learn the hardway a cop wont be there when you life is 20 second away from death or serius body harm.
Last edited by 1000cc; 27-05-2005 at 11:29 PM.
very pathetic and while the G36 is a excellent gun i laugh at the fact our president is guarded with german weapons. maybe the motorola radio is made here in the U.S "well the plastic housing that is"a while ago, when clinton came to visit Blackpool I think. I saw the ARV parked up on one of the sidestreets, the officers were stood outside of the vehicle. One of them had a G36:
Yes and a double double yes if they are in brum
tasers are the way forward, non lethal, less paperwork
I remember in October last year, my friend's mum was robbed on the street and we had to go to Police station and the some of the Policemen were telling us how much they wish they had guns, this is in Tottenham by the way and there is a lot of violent crime, the policemen say that sometimes pepper spray is not enough to subdue a suspect who is sky high on crack and thus cannot feel any pain or is furiously wielding a knife.
As Police constables patrol the streets in pairs, one Policeman should be given a glock with jacketed hollowpoint bullets (flat / blunt tipped bullets) as these do lots of damage to a victim but will not pass through and rubber bullets. The other should be given a beanbag firing shotgun as seen in SWAT 4, they should be made to tell the suspect to put down the weapon or "Do not move or you will be fired on", if they're stupid enough to refuse then the Police will be authorised to shoot the suspect in the leg or arm or extreme conditions go for the kill.
Having said this though, the arming of the entire Police force is not applicable and should only be for parts of the UK where the Police feel scared and vulnerable like in Tottenham and Wood Green for example.
So last Thursday - me and my Boss are watching a jointer working in a pit on the Embankment by Charing Cross, and a Policeman on his own strolls by with a machine gun tucked under his arm
My Boss laughs and says to me -
"Do you feel safer now?"
I think they shud be allowed the for sure, i'm sick of the b**tards who think crime is acceptable!
ed
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote