Police overkill?

[Markymark]

I've had a van load of police and a helicopter looking for me, in a genuine case of mistaken identity.
It's a long story, but I apparently matched the description of someone who'd robbed a house and beaten up the owner.
Also due to what seem now funny reasons, my answers to their questions were a bit iffy too.

??

 

[Fnaar]

??

I haven't got that much hair

 

[mybike]

Police get called to a place, where there's been an allegation of violence. A place that has likely to have had violence in the past (based on serving in plastic instead of glass. This is often at the request of the police/licensing authority/council)

A place where there's a large crowd of drunken people, a place where there's likely to be a large crowd of people who just want to watch a game.

You expect just 1 or 2 to turn up to a situation that may end up involving several people?

How about, instead of blaming the police for "wasting time". How about blaming the drunken thugs who feel the need to kick off with a barmaid because their drink wasn't in a glass, and thus wasted police resources for a considerable amount of time.

Would you have complained if just 2 turned up and it turned into a fight with a couple of guys, couple of bouncers, and you got hit or pushed into something? Would that then be police fault as they didn't send enough?

Seems you're saying that the police cannot communicate or assess a situation.

 

[Beebo]

Plastic glasses isnt just a safety thing.
Whne i worked in a bar we used plastic on busy weekends because collecting and washing glasses was a PITA. And we couldnt do it quick enough.

 

[Electric_Andy]

If so called windyball fans stopped behaving like knuckle dragging morons because some other bunch of blokes kicked a ball better than another bunch of blokes then getting all stupid over it, maybe then there would be a lot of Police resource saved all over the country.

This x100. I used to go to a student bar in Luton, no trouble in 3 years. Except of course when England played Scotland. The English morons started throwing bottle tops and ice cubes at the 3 Scottish fans at the front. The Scots were behaving impecably and taking the jibes on the chin, until it got out of hand. We left shortly after the game, then heard there was a major incident there; chair throwing, smashed windows and 3 assaults on coppers. Sorry but to answer OPs thread, examples such as mine must be taken into account, otherwise Police are accused of not responding quickly/properly.

 

[Lonestar]

And anyone who had that sort of attitude couldn't have afforded a drink anyway.

I don't think he means down south here unless I'm missing something as when I click on "Durham" it's in North Carolina.

 

[Brandane]

Seems you're saying that the police cannot communicate or assess a situation.

Situations change very quickly, especially when it involves a pub of the type where plastic "glasses" are used, and bouncers employed.
I speak from 20 years of experience and sometimes hard lessons. Officer safety training is now very good, but wasn't always that way. You only listen to the "you don't need to handcuff me Officer, I won't cause you any trouble" bullsh*t once. I still have scars on the back of my hand from wrestling with some maniac who had tried to throttle a colleague with a dog chain.
Colleague was driving a Police car at the time, with another colleague in the FRONT passenger seat, and 2 initially compliant, non-handcuffed prisoners in the back of the car. Wrong procedure on many levels, but they did it to save other valuable resources coming to the scene.
Within minutes it was chaos as the dog chain appeared, and the side window of the Police car was kicked out from inside. When me and others arrived we managed to get the prisoners out of the car and onto the ground, which was covered in broken glass. I was cut by the glass while trying to get handcuffs on one of them.
The Police. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Always been that way.

 

[AndyRM]

Guy sounds like a prick, and not necessarily a football fan.

 

[outlash]

So, I left my office in Covent Garden one evening many moons ago, spliffette in hand, and got stopped on the pavement by American tourists asking for directions. I was giving them the way to Ly-sester Square when some bloke butted in. "Excuse me," I said, "I'm trying to help these people. Can you just wait a sec and then I'll help you as best I can." "Er, no," he said, flashing a warrant card, "You need to help me right now."

Long story short, after I'd been standing on the front step with three of them for about ten minutes 'waiting for the van', I said "Look, we're going to Bow Street, right?" The main cop agreed. "Can't we just walk there, me & you, and let these other two go and do something useful? I mean, it's not like I'm going to do a runner - apart from anything else, you saw me come out of my office; you know where I work." "No," he insisted, "you have to be taken in a van." "Why?" I said. It's five minutes walk. We could have been there ten minutes ago." "For your safety," he said. "Safety?" I said. "What, in case I injure myself walking five minutes?" He got grumpy, but insisted that was how it had to be.

So I stood there with these three cops until eventually, after about 25 minutes, the van arrived, and they put me in the back. The traffic was bad. So it took me and the van and the two cops in the front seats about another 20 minutes to get round the corner to Bow Street. So, what any sensible approach would have taken one cop five minutes ended up occupying about two cop hours and the better part of a cop van hour. Bonkers.

You're showing your age if you got taken to Bow Street....

 

[Mugshot]

name me any profession that doesn't have a bad egg

Media tycoon? Russian oligarch?

 

[mybike]

Situations change very quickly, especially when it involves a pub of the type where plastic "glasses" are used, and bouncers employed.
I speak from 20 years of experience and sometimes hard lessons. Officer safety training is now very good, but wasn't always that way. You only listen to the "you don't need to handcuff me Officer, I won't cause you any trouble" bullsh*t once. I still have scars on the back of my hand from wrestling with some maniac who had tried to throttle a colleague with a dog chain.
Colleague was driving a Police car at the time, with another colleague in the FRONT passenger seat, and 2 initially compliant, non-handcuffed prisoners in the back of the car. Wrong procedure on many levels, but they did it to save other valuable resources coming to the scene.
Within minutes it was chaos as the dog chain appeared, and the side window of the Police car was kicked out from inside. When me and others arrived we managed to get the prisoners out of the car and onto the ground, which was covered in broken glass. I was cut by the glass while trying to get handcuffs on one of them.
The Police. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Always been that way.

I think it's more likely there were a bunch of bobbys feeling bored who decided to go out on a trip. Boredom wouldn't be so much of a problem if they still went out on the beat.

 

[Haitch]

name me any profession that doesn't have a bad egg

Fabergé collection? Cadbury's Crème production?

 

[outlash]

Bow Street operated as a nick until 1992.

I'm well aware of that, and given that was 24 years ago.... What's your point?

 

[oldfatfool]

Bow street? ............... you could have run there.

 

[Markymark]

I bought a house there for £180 once.....