Greek riots | 93 comments (93 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Greek riots (4.00 / 3)

Australian police just last night killed 15 years old boy in Melbourne...he had a knife...they couldn't shoot in his legs, because they said they are trained to shout straight in to the body in these situations. Who the hell trained them this way? How can someone with knife be a threat to someone with gun?
This happened in one of those skating parks and he was just a 15 years old kid...it was obvious to the police.
Don't they have a soul?

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein

by vbo on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 02:44:50 AM EST

Re: Greek riots (none / 1)

A knife is perfectly deadly to someone with a gun who doesn't fire it. As I understand it, shooting in the legs (or whatever) works well in movies, but not so much in real life.

On the other hand, as a rule of thumb, when you find yourself using a gun to subdue a 15 year old you've already fucked up.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 02:53:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Greek riots (none / 1)

Long sticks or tasers sound sufficient to neutralize someone with a knife...

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 06:32:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Greek riots (none / 0)

I'll let you do the long stick bit, if you don't mind?

Taser might do it, if they carry them.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 06:35:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Greek riots (none / 1)

When using a taser, you have to make sure your subject is being uncooperative and not just faking it because of a diabetic seizure. Of course, this warning applies doubly in Missouri where police this week subdued with a taser a seizing diabetic who had spun off the road.

by Upstate NY on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 08:28:59 AM EST
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Re: Greek riots (none / 0)

I don't like tasers much either. Tasers are still deadly weapons, just less so than guns.

Irish police are still mostly unarmed. They don't get killed by violence much.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 08:37:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Tasers are torture tools (none / 1)

Don't support them.

Don't use them.

Nothing in the police tool kit corrupts faster.

If the law can not stop them (it could, but it won't):

Then there is no cure but to kill those that do use them. Remember, clean death (it's your honor, not theirs, they have none): Head shot is best.

But be cool: We're not there yet.

The Fates are kind.

by Gaianne on Sat Dec 13th, 2008 at 03:26:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Greek riots (4.00 / 2)

I don't know...but it was a kid...He had an argument at home and yes he had knife. Today's kids live (very often) in terrific circumstances. Parents divorced (if ever married), they do not have exemplar in family, they have all kinds of confusions, socially, psychologically, etc...
I feel sorry for them. Society did not find way to deal with those anomalies that modern way of life and too much of personal freedom (and not enough responsibility) brought. But they are just poor kids (before they become junkies, criminals, etc...
I understand that being a policeman is dangerous job (and hard one) and they may not have sufficient salaries for that...but here in Australia they openly say that they are trained "shoot to kill". On TV tonight, one of them said that they are not out there to disarm anybody...it's not their task...their task is to "shoot straight in body"...to kill. I can be a policeman that way, just give me a gun. And yes they kill...kids; disturbed people, mental patients...and they are offered counseling instead of proper training and other solutions but guns...
As for me this is outrages... Why would I feel compassion for "upper class" kid in Greece (which I do) and not for disturbed kid in Melbourne. They are both dead and we don't have an idea what would happened in their future if they stayed alive...
I saw on TV someone written "Murder in the name of law is still murder". I agree...
And Colman, wait for your kid to be 15 and you'll find out how hard it is nowadays...and how hard it is to be a parent of 15 years old...I wish you all luck in this.
Poor mothers and fathers that lost their kids in Greece and Melbourne...that's all I can say....

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein

by vbo on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 08:56:23 AM EST
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Re: Greek riots (none / 1)

The intended meaning of my final paragraph was that if you find yourself drawing a gun on a disturbed 15 year old you're probably not much of a police officer. On the other hand, I don't know the details. Maybe by the time it had reached that point the kid was too far gone and they couldn't safely retreat. Of course, it should never have got that far.

Since a police officer isn't supposed to fire their gun unless it's the absolute last resort to stop someone killing someone else (or the officer) the shoot-to-kill policy makes perfect sense: guns don't hurt people, they kill them dead. That's what they're for.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Fri Dec 12th, 2008 at 09:03:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Greek riots (none / 1)

Here:
http://www.sbs.com.au/