Police shot a drunken barrister in London. Left me wishing it was the start of a cull. Presumably he covered up the fact he was a piss head to get the licence for his shotgun, or Gadget-Knacker just didn’t bother. Normally, when I hear about police killings, my sympathy goes out to the officers concerned, and some old traumas resurface from my own experience. It bothers me that the Met seem to have screwed up even on the slaying of one of our most hated profession. What do you call 500 lawyers on a riverbed – a good start and such.
The guy’s shotgun seems to have been in the open position and so could not have been fired. I sort of discount this, as I tend to think if you are waving a shotgun around or even a table leg in a bin bag you be4come fair game. I generally think cops should kill such people quicker than they do. One officer has actually said he saw no reason to fire and we can praise this honesty without condemning those who did.
Once someone pops a round off, quite often everyone else does too. That our real cops don’t live up to our Clint Eastwood expectations is our dumb fault, not theirs. That the shotgun is in an open position or actually a table leg should not concern us over-much – maybe juries and magistrates should have to find out what their score is on a shooting test. The answer is a few dead babies and colleagues.
In this case the Met left a next door neighbour with baby in terror and have not apologised, making this worse by saying it wouldn’t have been appropriate until the inquest is over. Insensitive, useless turds. Sack whoever is responsible for leaving this woman in the lurch and coming up with the lame excuse. Leave the poor sods who did the shooting alone and with support.
This case and many others demonstrate the extent to which much of our bureaucracy can’t make decent decisions and that staff have lost their decency. Much further down the scale we have cops and other agencies utterly failing people as they failed the next door neighbour and her child.
This said, we fail officers because we remain so dumb our views come from television (and of course we have over-inflated views on cops because the job seen on tv is not the one being done). 30 years ago, we were expected to defend our own police stations against the IRA armed only with the ability to throw ourselves to the floor and beg. Things are better now, but no cop should have to put his and other people’s lives at risk by waiting for the first shot to come his or her way. Too much lying is going on though and this case makes me wonder what the IPCC would have found at Stockwell, had they not bottled when told to piss off by Blair. CCTV? We are being drawn away from the real and needed arguments about our often rude, incompetent and cowardly police officers who conceal what doing the job is really about. Brave in the line of fire no doubt, but feeble in the face of power.
Allcoppedout's Blog 
With so much public interest in these events, I am a little surprised that Simon Cowell has not secured exclusive rights to organise the viewing of the next public execution.
With assistance from the likes of Inspector Cleon to maximise ticket sales, this new entertainment has all the potential of a fun day for the entire family. It may all hinge on the selection of venues which provide excellent views for premium rate ticket holders and naturally, police hoodwinking the victim to arrive on promises they will not shoot.
Cleon could certainly maximise profits from touting, running a tote with prizes for correctly guessing the order in which limbs are blasted off, public opinion meters, sales of mementos, souvenirs and toffee effigies of the deceased.
Careful Melvin, politicians may be watching and see a ‘new’ cure for the economy! All very Georgian.
I have no problems with them culling the odd lawyer, though the ones who prosecuted and defended Nico Bento would have been a better start.
Prior to his drink fuelled suicide by cop-may I remind you both that this man was a law abiding chap with a family?
He wasn’t a villian.
Sure, we were right to shoot him under the circs and I agree it should have been done quicker.
That almost suicidal lack of concern for personal safety shown by the officers, should convince even the most cynical (melv 😉 ) that it wasn’t an execution.
Lawyers are people.
I don’t like they way they behave too on occasion-but to advocate their murder, even in jest is a poor jest…no?
The principle of irony applies via lawyer jokes, rather than murder Shijuro. Poor show on the maiden and child in distress though.