Re: Unnecessary use of Stinger on Bike?
 

Irrelevant, he was asked to stop (ALL the traffic was).

While I get the feeling Bibio is playing devils advocate a bit by saying he doesn't care if someone dies when a stinger is used. I certainly think it should be an absolute last measure - i.e trying to stop some thieves, high speed pursuit, etc.

The biker was a c*nt, as were the whoppers on quads, as were the whoppers who confronted the officer. I agree with Bibio that there's a huge amount of absolute a-holes on bikes these days, it's why Sadiq Khan (and other city Mayors) are moving to basically ban motorcycles from cities. Well done all the a-holes, wrecking it for all of us.

Re: Unnecessary use of Stinger on Bike?
 

Don't see then using a Stinger on a stolen bike they sometimes chase, might violate the rights of the thief but happy to walk about Southend carrying a stinger just waiting on any excuse to use it?

No hi-vis either whilst taking part in traffic duty? Naughty boy!

As to the asshats on the quads, lets hope that natural selection takes a hand in that.

Re: Unnecessary use of Stinger on Bike?
 

How could you possibly know this? Aware of every chase, stolen bike and thief, are you?

Stop being so daft.

Re: Unnecessary use of Stinger on Bike?
 

There is so much BS associated with this story that it's hard to know where to begin. The officer wasn't even remotely engaged in stopping the traffic to allow "children and bikes" to cross the road so it's rather disappointing the senior officer chose to introduce that into her explanation of events, which she clearly did to distract from a rather inept deployment of a Stinger device. Clearly there are elements of every biker meet that are potentially going to endanger the public and spoil it for the majority and I don't doubt her master plan had provision in place to try and deal with them, and that may even have included the use of HOSTYDS (the proper name for a "Stinger") but I very much doubt they intended it to be used in the way it appears to have been against a solo motorcyclist.

Everything in that video suggest a poorly planned spontaneous deployment by an unprepared and unsupported officer, but that's not to say I blame him one bit for doing what he did. If you keep expecting officers to try and do a job with one hand tied behind their back this is exactly what happens. I'm surprised his management actually backed him up because the alternative possibility that he was actually following their plan is even more frightening!

Re: Unnecessary use of Stinger on Bike?
 

Made me laugh. I live there but try not to admit to it usually. Must agree though. Didn't see the incident in question but was down there as every year.

The "event" was ruined not by the Police or Council but the weather. That and the idiot fringe of quad and moped riders that are there every year. The Council went totally OTT with barriers and had drafted in hordes of "marshals" mostly clueless. Police presence was massive too but generally good humoured, the couple I spoke too were bored and cold but admitted that they were targeting mopeds and quads.

Possibly the copper was over reacting due to boredom or a desire to be seen to be doing something, don't know. I have never had a problem with being stopped by the Police. I do find it strange that Essex Police found it necessary to release a video explanation of their actions though, not something normally done. Maybe they were embarrassed by the original video on Facebook.