London and England riots

[Moot]

If you lived in Croydon you would feel quite in need of defense

I would call 999 and state to the police I felt I was in danger. They would respond with emergency to protect me. I don't see a problem, that the Army needs to solve.
The police can't protect the property with the resources they have. What other options are there?
I would think differently If I heard of innocent householders being harmed.
People in harms way need to call the police and say get me out of here!

 

[CAM]

The thread I linked has discussion about the whole of the riots in that area.

 

[Tornado]

But you can use the Police to defend the Public.
The Police have not said they are unable to defend the lives of the public...
It's just property in question.

When groups of citizens are having to band together to scare off looters/rioters with knives, I greatly question the ability of the police to defend the public without outside help.


Particularly when I've already heard people say on another forum that this entire situation is the fault of the police in the first place.

 

[Neal]

I would call 999 and state to the police I felt I was in danger. They would respond with emergency to protect me. I don't see a problem.

You actually want The Darwin Award don't you.

 

[Slurm]

Yeah call the police and tell them you're in danger. Do you expect to see some officers and firemen filtering through the front lines of the riot police on your street and coming directly to your exact location to help you? They're starting multiple, massive fires.

 

[dhandeh]

I would call 999 and state to the police I felt I was in danger. They would respond with emergency to protect me. I don't see a problem, that the Army needs to solve.

Are you watching the news? Tell me if your house, property, business was getting torched, ransacked etc. You would be happy to make a phone call to the Police, and then kick off your slippers, light a cigar, safe in the knowledge that the Police will be right there, as they have nothing better to do.

 

[CAM]

You actually want The Darwin Award don't you.

He is definitely on the correct track. I wasn't expecting a laugh when I came to this thread, but he gave me one.

Moot, do you think that emergency services may possibly be needed by someone who is in a more dire situation than yourself? We're talking about the public as a whole, not just you.

 

[Famine]

I would call 999 and state to the police I felt I was in danger. They would respond with emergency to protect me. I don't see a problem

I've just spoken to another Met officer (a different one - I know four). I asked the question of what response the police would be able to give in the situation you posit, of a householder near/in the riot zones calling 999 because they felt in danger.

I remind you that this is unofficial:

Truthfully? Close to 🤬 all at the moment.

Particularly when I've already heard people say on another forum that this entire situation is the fault of the police in the first place.

I hope that forum has an Ignore feature.

 

[Clark]

We could really do with Lord Flashheart now.

 

[Tornado]

The police can't protect the property with the resources they have.

You say that so blasé, as if that also wasn't part of their job.


"Oh, the police are completely unable to protect anyone's private property from destruction. But who cares? Just leave the affected areas and the police will eventually be able to get things under control."

I hope that forum has an Ignore feature.

It does, but more importantly it also has a reputation feature, so I think the people in question got the point quickly enough.

 

[Clark]

Rumours of looters going to more local places in Brum now. Star-City and The Fort could be next.

 

[Mike Rotch]

We could really do with Lord Flashheart now.

Or rubber bullets.

Also, nice of Mr Cameron to cut short his Italian holiday to oversee the response. /sarcasm

 

[N99GT]

oh fair does i tried looking at that but the app kept freezing! guess im gonna have to try looking at it on my laptop...

 

[Saidur_Ali]

I've just spoken to another Met officer (a different one - I know four). I asked the question of what response the police would be able to give in the situation you posit, of a householder near/in the riot zones calling 999 because they felt in danger.

I remind you that this is unofficial:

That response is as expected. You can't expect police to work as bodyguards for people, otherwise there would be no police officers left to stop the rioters on the streets.

 

[dhandeh]

So there's panic on the streets of London, there's panic on the streets of Birmingham, I wonder to myself, will life ever be sane again?

 

[N99GT]

they should just start using bean bag guns and rubber bullets!

rather than asking them to behave themselves...! i bet in other countries the rioters would have been wooped by the cops!!

as they say the law is too soft on criminals...

 

[Moglet]

Rumours of looters going to more local places in Brum now. Star-City and The Fort could be next.

Getting worryingly close now if that's true!

 

[Mark T]

No one has the answer and there has been calls for a military presence. Open up the military barracks as temporary prisons and give the soldiers arresting powers (if they don't already have them).

This had already gone on long enough and needs to be stamped out now.

 

[Traviizter]

Crap.
My opinion(s):
1. Blame the government for cutting public services.
2. My dad who lives in Ilford and drives a Lexus (not boasting, seriously; if anything it's a burden cause people already broke in the garage earlier this year and stole his iPod and our bikes) called us to say there's trouble down there. I'm worried... very worried.
3. So, so glad me and my family moved out of London 7 years ago.
4. This city is holding the Olympics next year. Great example being set.
5. Now it's spreading to Birmingham of all places... I'm a bit worried, I live not too far from there.
6. I'm in Portsmouth right now so I have to take a train tomorrow to get home. Guess where it goes through? London.
7. The current riots have nothing to do with the Thursday shooting. People just want to show they're 'hard' and get free stuff.

 

[Moot]

I've just spoken to another Met officer (a different one - I know four). I asked the question of what response the police would be able to give in the situation you posit, of a householder near/in the riot zones calling 999 because they felt in danger.

I remind you that this is unofficial:
🤬

That's not good.
I think they would try something.
Maybe a search and rescue helicopter and winch-man to a top storey window?
Or perhaps undercover police turning up to remove the stranded citizens.
I would have thought specific targeted areas could be cleared, even for a few minutes, just in order to evacuate people. Using tear gas and riot police etc. And then standing down again to go back to where they were before.

 

[Slurm]

The fact is that there are large areas of this city that are now COMPLETELY lawless. That is an unacceptable state of affairs and it needs to change as fast as possible. The army aren't going to kill people. They're going to hurt them, and control the most violent and concentrated areas.

Forget morality. If teenagers want to play "burn down the city", they deserve to spend the night tied up in the back of a military truck.

 

[boiltheocean]

EDIT: Posted by Danny earlier.

 

[Mike Rotch]

they should just start using bean bag guns and rubber bullets!

rather than asking them to behave themselves...! i bet in other countries the rioters would have been wooped by the cops!!

as they say the law is too soft on criminals...

Having grown up in a country where rioting and public mayhem is usually regarded as an annual sporting event (South Africa), I can say that the standard response is largely:

1) Crowd gathers peacefully; chants
2) Riot police gather; observe
3) 'Peaceful' crowd starts getting restless, something is thrown, mayhem ensures
4) Riot police start raining tear gas into the crowd
5) Crowd either disperses, or if they get precious..
6) Riot police start using shotguns with rubber bullets.
7) Crowd disperses.

 

[Tornado]

That's not good.
I think they would try something.
Maybe a search and rescue helicopter and winch-man to a top storey window?
Or perhaps undercover police turning up to remove the stranded citizens.
I would have thought specific targeted areas could be cleared, even for a few minutes, just in order to evacuate people. Using tear gas and riot police etc. And then standing down again to go back to where they were before.

Again, why is "get all the people out of the area, but then let the city burn" an acceptable solution?

 

[dhandeh]

That's not good.
I think they would try something.
Maybe a search and rescue helicopter and winch-man to a top storey window?
Or perhaps undercover police turning up to remove the stranded citizens.
I would have thought specific targeted areas could be cleared, even for a few minutes, just in order to evacuate people. Using tear gas and riot police etc. And then standing down again to go back to where they were before.

I take it that wasnt a serious answer?

 

[Moglet]

Having grown up in a country where rioting and public mayhem is usually regarded as an annual sporting event (South Africa), I can say that the standard response is largely:

1) Crowd gathers peacefully; chants
2) Riot police gather; observe
3) 'Peaceful' crowd starts getting restless, something is thrown, mayhem ensures
4) Riot police start raining tear gas into the crowd
5) Crowd either disperses, or if they get precious..
6) Riot police start using shotguns with rubber bullets.
7) Crowd disperses.

And that is how it's done. 👍

 

[Mike Rotch]

That's not good.
I think they would try something.
Maybe a search and rescue helicopter and winch-man to a top storey window?
Or perhaps undercover police turning up to remove the stranded citizens.
I would have thought specific targeted areas could be cleared, even for a few minutes, just in order to evacuate people. Using tear gas and riot police etc. And then standing down again to go back to where they were before.

Are you purposely being obtuse?

How many special ops do you think reside in the London Metropol to go and winch threatened citizens off rooftops.

 

[Clark]

I'm going to bed now, work tomorrow. Please somebody send me a profile message/private message on here or tweet me @Duffers917K if things get really serious in Sutton Coldfield outside of Birmingham.

Cheers

 

[DQuaN]

BBC news is now reporting what's going on in Ealing (my area). Aparently there are fires and shop windows smashed. This is all about half a mile from my house.

 

[Clark]

Ealing shopping centre is on fire.

Good night and I hope any GTP-ers in the affected areas stay safe.