Posted on 07/24/2005 3:31:09 AM PDT by Hadean
Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Ian Blair today admitted further people could be shot as detectives hunt down the would-be suicide bombers who tried to bring further carnage to London last week.
His comments followed the fatal shooting of innocent Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, who was killed by undercover police officers on Friday morning as he tried to board a Tube train at Stockwell, south London.
Sir Ian admitted there was a “shoot-to-kill policy” for tackling suicide bombers and it would not change, although the death of Mr de Menezes was a “tragedy”.
“Somebody else could be shot. But everything is done to make it right,” Sir Ian told Sunday with Adam Boulton on Sky News.
“This is a terrifying set of circumstances for individuals to make decisions.”
Sir Ian defended the actions of his officers, saying: ``What we have got to recognise is that people are taking incredibly difficult fast time decisions in life threatening situations.
“It wasn’t just a random event and what’s most important to recognise is that it’s still happening out there.
“There are still officers out there having to make those calls as we speak.”
He said Mr de Menezes had emerged from a “not very large” block of flats which had been under surveillance before he was followed to Stockwell station.
The shoot-to-kill procedures for dealing with suicide bombers would remain in place.
“They have to be that because there is no point in shooting at someone’s chest because that is where the bomb is likely to be,” he said.
“There is no point in shooting anywhere else if they fall down and detonate it.
“It is drawn from experience from other countries, including Sri Lanka. The only way to deal with this is to shoot to the head.”
(Excerpt) Read more at breakingnews.ie ...
Excellent. More cojones than I thought the PC Brits had...
Why didn't Sir Ian Blair of Scotland Yard have his agents infiltrating radical Muslem groups years ago instead of having his policemen shoot a Brazilian electrician to make the public think the Yard isn't filled with a bunch of incompetents?
The moral to this story is when the police tell you to stop then stop!!!!!!!! This guy was killed by his own stupidity. I'm sure that there will be much liberal hand wringing over this.
"The braver officer will be the one who shoots to kill next time.
198 posted on 07/23/2005 5:55:34 PM PDT by SlowBoat407
Up to now Ian Blair was a real wimp regarding P.C. and the Muslims. But I agree this is a good sign. As Michael Savage had said, the extreme British politeness is what got them into this mess. Only by turning to their inner thug will they get out of it. The British people can be mean and brutal, and it is that ancient Briton which much be brought out if they have any hope of destroying the Muslim menace.
"Why didn't Sir Ian Blair of Scotland Yard have his agents infiltrating radical Muslem groups years ago instead of having his policemen shoot a Brazilian electrician to make the public think the Yard isn't filled with a bunch of incompetents?"
I think a lack of muslim police/intelligence officers has made this more difficult, so that certainly needs addressing.
A victim of circumstance.
The 'shoot to kill' policy depends on whether the police suspect someone of being a suicide bomber, not on whether he's cooperating with them.
Headshootin' salaameez is a good policy. However, I'm conerned about their descretion. If the cops think you're a bomb toting toady from falafal land, how do you not get shot?
I'm not so sure using the phrase 'shoot to kill' is a smart PR move. He could just explain the reason for the head shots and let it go at that. In fact, it is not so much shoot to kill as shoot to prevent an aggressive action - no different than any police officer or experienced citizen shooter anywhere. Only in this case they have their reasons for the head shots instead of the larger chest area. I mean, they are not so much interested in ending the guy's life as they are stopping the immediate threat of exploding a device. The Commissioner actually explains that toward the end of the piece. A targeted killing is shoot to kill.
Other than that though, this is exactly the way this should be handled. Cut off the debate, Monday morning quarterbacking and agonizing right from the get-go. We knew what we were doing when we made up these rules. We still believe in them. Everyone knows them now and they will not change. Period. Sorry this guy died, but we are at war and these things happen in wartime. No inquiry, no further comment. End of debate.
If the liberals and the press want to moan and groan, then at least they won't have daily reactions and clarifications from the police and politicians with which to pad and drag out the story day after day. I'll bet if the politicians will just shut up and quietly support the Commissioner, opposition to this policy will not get off the ground.
...if you are innocent, of course.
The Brazilian killed himself.
You asked, "If the cops think you're a bomb toting toady from falafal land, how do you not get shot?"
===
OPINION:
Hi Ajnin.
I'll take a stab at your question and this applies to people of all ethnic backgrounds, cultures, races, sexes, etc.
1. Don't run from police.
2. Stand still.
3. Do what they tell you to do.
That's a start.
Good question, although I suspect you know the answer. Ironically, "infiltration" was the excuse the Brits gave for giving terrorists safe haven in Britain. Instead of arresting them, they coddled them, so now innocent people will die in their stead.
Their policy is to make headshots so as to deter collateral damage from the bomb carried by the terrorist. It doesn't make any sense to me that they would try to subdue a guy they believed to be a suicide bomber when their stated policy is to immediately incapacitate the subject with a headshot. I just get the feeling the guy never saw it coming and the Brit government is lying about what happen.
Add Meneze's name to the list of innocent victims of the tube & bus bombings. The real fault for this lies with the terrorists, whose mission is to cause the murder innocent victims. The choice is between accepting Meneze's death as bloody unfortunate collateral damage & moving on or making the terrorists happy with hand-wringing and bashing Scotland Yard, et.al.
I was only addressing the one issue as to how not to get shot.
Don't run from the police.
Stand still (as in don't move).
Do what they say.
Take the IDF in Israel, as an example.
Yesterday they had a suicide bomber.
His name was Jihad Shahada (or Shihada).
He hadn't detonated yet.
He did exactly what IDF told him to do.
They took his suicide bomb belt off him.
They arrested him and took him away to jail.
They detonated his bomb belt in a safe location.
It was a win-win situation all around.
I bet they don't anguish over incidents like this in Sri Lanka.
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