Armed Police & Video

I can understand the desire for this to be implemented, but who in there right mind would want to work for SO19 if every step of every day is monitored?

A split second decision where you feel your life may very well be in danger (for good reason) results in you protecting yourself and then being hung by your very actions?

Whilst non lethal force is always a preferred option perhaps the understanding that the police are a Force and should be able to use force to prevent public disturbances -

Big nasty topic but it doesn't sit right with me, likewise the Marine sentenced to life for a "war crime"

no opinion on this is right btw...

well the police always say about CCTV that if you've got nothing to hide you've got nothing to fear.

what's sauce for the goose...

It's a tough job as it is, a lot of pressure, even with following the law to the letter, if your discharge your firearm you are immediately put under scrutiny.

I would like the shooting part of it but not the pressure and red tape.

[NTECUK]

As long as they don't hold back and end up getting shoot themselves. It's got to be a good idea

[NTECUK]

Originally Posted by Specialone

It's a tough job as it is, a lot of pressure, even with following the law to the letter, if your discharge your firearm you are immediately put under scrutiny.
.

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It's a thankless job,but fortunately someone does it
Even the non armed pc s have a hard time of it.

It seems that the potential for good is there. AS SP1 says officers are put under immense scrutiny if they discharge their firearm, this does have the potential to stop the "He said, she said" type defense, but Just look at the divided opinions we get on here about youtube footage. Cameras only tell a small part of the story. I hope they consider the implementation and implications long and hard before doing this.

I'm so sick and tired of police having to be soft, polite, and the perfect example of superfluous political correctness. If you're not doing anything wrong, you will have no problem. Someone called the police on me a few nights ago, because I was pacing up and down a street corner wearing a hood up and trackie bottoms (just came from a volleyball tournament, and was on the phone to the girlfriend). I have no problem with that person calling the police because I know I looked suspicious. The policeman arrived, asked what I was doing, I explained myself, and he wished me a good evening before driving away. As a law-abiding citizen, it wouldn't have mattered to me if he has an Uzi in his hand and grenade in the other. As a criminal, I want police to constantly be under extreme duress to not do anything and posses no power.

I've seen a girl spit in a policeman's face and he was not allowed to do anything about it. People don't fear police, they mock them. This should not be the case. A recent example is at Notting Hill carnival. EVERYWHERE police went, they were shouted at, called pigs, teasing noises were made. This is not acceptable.

Policemen and women are not idiots. They are trained well, smart, and I trust their discretion. Give them more power, not more scrutiny. They should be proud to do what they do because it is a very honourable profession.

[keith_d]

It's a tough enough job already, without worrying about being second-guessed by some desk bound lawyer looking at a GoPro recording after the event.

But this is just part of trying to balance the need to have an effective police force without that authority being abused. Personally, I'd prefer to give police officers a bit more discretion and a few less hard and fast rules. But that doesn't seem to be the way society is going at the moment.

Keith.

[TamSV]

I'd be happy to give officers a bit more lattitude in alot of areas but discharging a firearm is significant and deserves a great deal of scrutiny. I suspect most armed officers would agree with that.

If it was otherwise, the job would attract the wrong type.

Originally Posted by Specialone

I would like the shooting part of it but not the pressure and red tape.

See?

Originally Posted by 454697819

likewise the Marine sentenced to life for a "war crime"

Inverted commas not required IMO. Shooting an unarmed prisoner and turning to your mates saying "This doesn't go anywhere, I just broke the Geneva Convention" is definitely a war crime.

Originally Posted by TamSV

Inverted commas not required IMO. Shooting an unarmed prisoner and turning to your mates saying "This doesn't go anywhere, I just broke the Geneva Convention" is definitely a war crime.

I was about to say just that Tam.

That "marine" endangered the life of every serving member of our military by showing our own disregard for the established rules of war. Anything less than a life sentence would have been an abomination.