miked10270

I suppose that it really brings out the YELLOW in your eyes. How's about you take it off... We remember what you look like... Then we can decide if it's; Hood OFF, Hood ON, or Hood ON BACKWARDS! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Oh that's delicious! I hope that the Australian government will teach it's people to speak Farsi & French before they surrender! For some time I suspected that the REAL reason that Russia wasn't nuked during the Cold War was that no bugger in the USAF could find it and this kind of proves it! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Err... Look! If WE all promise to sing a song about a Dead Munich Pimp (yes, quite a few of us know the words, but we're more familiar with Rot scheint die Sonne) will YOU keep the whole race thing out of this? Thanks, Mike. PS. How are you getting on with your custom sized canopy? Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Yeah... She should have been left to complete her punishment, or at least not brought in while still conscious. It's really a shame that all too often a punishment that fits the crime is considered "Cruel & Unusual". Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Getting back on topic! (yeah, I know - a bit of a first for me...) Apparently the maximum punishment is now down to 12 years imprisonment!!! This means you've all gotta put your knives & guns away. Skyrad. You can take the hood off now - you ain't gonna need it! Of course the vietnamese could simply DEPORT him... And back he comes to Blighty (unless Y'All can think of some other country that'll take him?)! The real worry is that if he comes back to The UK, he'd release another record!! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Americans have always been weak on stuff like World Geography. Some folk say that the REAL reason Russia wasn't nuked doring the Cold War was that none of the US pilots knew where it was! So... This poor "Twat of a Yank" maybe simply heard folk talking funny (to him) English and just kind of assumed he was in Lousiana? Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Interesting, and quite a spread of opinion. I have doubts about the Taser - "Less-Lethal" but also "Less-Effective". I will say this. A "Street Cop" in the UK earns up to around £33,500 a year basic. A person who's deemed worthy of this salary isn't trusted with a firearm when they're simultaneously issued (& required to carry) a prohibited weapon (CS Spray) which is considered under the same legislation as a sub-machine gun? If Brits TRUST the police, then why aren't they trusted to carry firearms outside an airport? Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Hi Scoop, Yeah... THey were despatched to an "Alarm Activation" from an alarm company - there's nothing to say if it was even passed as an attack alarm as yet. I'm surprised (and a lot disturbed) that two officers so young in service would be paired off on patrol in the first place! - There wasn't 3 years service between the two of them! No matter how "competent" their supervisors thought them to be, there's ultimately no substitute for "Time on the Street" to make you just that bit more wary, less confident, and you'll have already learned that "ASSUME" makes an ASS of U and ME. BUT... Talking to Firearms Officers, the very issue of a gun even on "routine" duty like at an airport has the same effect. Mike. Edited to add: Want to bet against the enquiry saying something like: "This situation escalated in a way that could not have been forseen" and no blame being attributed to any supervisors or Force control? Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

The reason I asked the original question was to solicit views on whether it'd be best practice to issue firearms routinely and train the British Police. Britain is the only police service which does not (currently) routinely arm & train its officers. The Garda & New Zealand police are also routinely unarmed, but are trained. Simple comparison with America is somewhat restrictive. Are armed French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Australian, Spanish, Italian..... police more likely to be shot at? Does simply being armed make a police officer more likely to be shot at?... Or are there other aspects of a country's culture at work? What about when people of another, more violent culture meet the British Police? Do they then suspend their cultural beliefs?.. (Je thinks - Non!) Whether individual police officers want to be armed or not is surely irrelevant. "Most" police officers didn't want side-handle or extending batons. "Most" police officers didn't want CS spray. "Most" police officers find the issue body armour heavy & restrictive. "Most" police officers want to take their tie off & open their shirt collar in hot weather. "Most" police officers will approach ANY aspect of their working practices with a significant dose of cynicism & resistance to change. Cynicism at "Street" level and resistance to change particularly at senior supervisory officer level. "Most" police officers are told to "Like It or Lump It"... And "Most" police officers do just that. Regards, Mike. PS: Just a stray thought... Are you so vehemently against having armed police just 'cos that means your girlfriend gets to play with guns and you dont? Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

NO!!!!.... IT'S KEBAB TIME!!! Mike Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Have I missed something in the coverage of this? Where did it say that? Authorised Firearms Officers, Diplomatic Protection Officers and AFO/DPO Instructors I've talked to are the first to admit that their perceptions & preparedness - their whole attitude changes simply by carrying a forearm. Would these two officers (despite their service) have been more prepared had they been armed? A "No" to this question implies complacency on their part - which I doubt. Since WHEN has the wishes of "Most" (public or police) been of consequence to a government decision - or even, coincidentally, what'd be sensible? THe recent 90 Day Terrorist Detention is an obvious example of this. Do They? Dont We? This is the whole point of this discussion, which is not exclusively Anglo-American. Personally I'm looking for something a little more than "That's not wanted here!" as a justification in and of itself. The original question wasn't "Does "Bobby" want a gun", We're discussing best practise, not desire. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

The logic of this is kind of lost on me - The idea that someone KNOWS a police officer more intimately automatically makes them more of an expert? I assume MnealTX also knows a police officer or two... If not in the Biblical sense! The original post sought comments & discussion from all - Constructive would be nice - and in particular, comments from serving police officers in various countries on their own feelings about being armed or unarmed in the course of their duties. Also, one wonders how people in the various countries feel about having routinely armed police? Incidentally, "The Unarmed British Bobby" has only really existed since about 1950. Prior to that there have been long periods where ordinary beat police officers were routinely armed on duty (I saw a hilarious Met Police order dated around 1922 in which longer serving officers got better guns! Pinfires for Junior Constables, revolvers for Senior Constables! Sergeants & Inspectors were allowed automatics & shotguns etc...). During the periods in history when the British Police were routinely armed I don't think that they were in turn shot more often! So... "Why IS it so rare for the police to get shot in this country?" Is it simply because they are unarmed themselves? Do criminals have some collective sense of fair play in this respect? Is it because guns are still relatively hard to obtain in this country? Is it a culture thing with British Society (including criminals) having an abhorrence of guns? Are they "more trouble than they're worth"? And, how will the current immigration to Britain of people coming from more gun oriented cultures change this? Let's not forget that the police are seeking 2 Somalis and an Asian for this shooting. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Just hold on there a minute!!! If this particular git IS going to get his head chopped off then the job needs to be done properly! I certainly DON'T want some incompetent taking a single strong-arm swing with some sharp, clean rust-free implement! One of you fools'd probably cut too high on his neck and cut off his breathing! NO!... You need someone like me! Someone who tires quickly when using some rusted machete recently recovered from a village dungheap! Someone who's not going to strike too high by starting at the toes and GRADUALLY adjusting his aim upwards! Someone who, incidentally WILL take time off to cook for you lot during the execution. I'd still prefer to do the catering for the "Vietnam War (Captured Pilot) Experience" though. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

I still believe that execution is fundamentally wrong, final and SHORT! Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd) has been poking kiddies for decades now & you want to finish him off in a day or two? Am I the only one even considering some form of therapy and appropriate punishment for this man? Am I the only one who can see that he can still contribute to society? So... It's the tatters of a 1970 USAF uniform, into the Tiger Cage, and get the kids to poke him with sharpened bamboo sticks as the centrepiece of their "Vietnam War Themepark"? I think that tickets for this will sell! Just one thing... Please stop calling him an animal! We don't want PeTA sticking it's nose into this suggestion! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Well... Yes! Killing him is very final. I much preferred to combine a SUITABLE punishment with the chance of rehabilitation, a contriution to society and the chance for this terribly poor country to earn some tourist money.

Don't get TOO excited... Almost all Germans are only ever really happy wearing leather and spanking each other... Hence the whole Lederhosen dancing thing. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Yes. I did wonder just how usefuf something like a Walther PPK or similar REALLY is in either day-to-day policing OR a shooting incident. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Isn't Phoney Tony's embarrassment a matter of National Security! Our PM with a bright red face looks So... OLD Labour!!! And we all know how precise the American bombs are - they can hit the exact centre of a large Red Cross! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

So... You keep all your police tall, blonde, blue-eyed & athletic purely in order to keep out the short, dark-haired Austrians with an air of destiny? Personally I like those German Cops who obviously know their way around a beer barrel (and indeed look like they've swallowed one)! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

The real kicker is whether England's drinking culture changes as a result of the licensing law changes. At present, all England (and some parts of scotland whose licensing boards don't understand 4am closing) drinks "Against The Clock" - witha 11pm curfew. When I moved up to Edinburgh, a city with superbly enlightened licensing hours (no drink between 4.30 - 4.45am) my drinking habits changed radically in that it was in fact later & less! I would go out later & go home when I wanted to and thus drank a lot slower. I'd guess that at first there are some who assume that 24 hour opening means 24 hour drinking... But they won't last long. I'll bet that this'll work in the long run. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Don't bet on SUV sales being linked to gas prices! Look at the UK, we're at $7 per US Gallon ($1.70/litre) and there's no shortage of SUVs being sold. If someone's dozy enough to buy what amounts to a Barbie-Jeep on steroids, don't expect some sensible consideration like gas prices to deter them! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Actually NO!!!! The median American Law Enforcement Officer is some 68% heavier than his British counterpart... Which IS directly linked to the relative rates of doughnut consumption & time spent in a patrol car! From first-hand observations I suspect the German Polizei of suffering from a similar "Bratwurst-syndrom"? [being serious] One wonders if the British Police resistance to being armed is rooted in some perverse pride in being unarmed & untrained in firearms use? While there are 2 other forces which are "not routinely armed" (Republic of Ireland & New Zealand) their officers are in fact trained in firearms use. [/being serious] Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Before?... Or After!!? Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Actually, yes! (Within the native British culture) an armed perpetrator facing unarmed opposition would tend at first to threaten with his firearm to gain compliance rather than use the firearm. Faced with armed opposition then the percieved danger increases and pre-emptive use of a firearm would be far more likely. But keep going.

Err... How does a gun help against the Criminal-Justice System? Shooting your way out of an arrest or court wouldn't exactly be seen as a sign of innocence!! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.