Olympic torch don't get to close.

[Mellotron]

Or he saw it was a kid who potentially wanted to cause trouble (like 99% of all teenagers today if you believe everything in the Daily Mail).

I (someone completely unqualified for security) was able to see on FIRST viewing very quickly that it was clearly just a little kid who posed no threat whatsoever.

If he can't see that then he isn't really qualified for the job he is doing. Surely it is ESSENTIAL that he can quantify any possible threats/risks very quickly, what if he CLATTERS some old Doris who wanders into The Security Bubble (TM) next?

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

I (someone completely unqualified for security) was able to see on FIRST viewing very quickly that it was clearly just a little kid who posed no threat whatsoever.

If he can't see that then he isn't really qualified for the job he is doing. Surely it is ESSENTIAL that he can quantify any possible threats/risks very quickly, what if he CLATTERS some old Doris who wanders into The Security Bubble (TM) next?

All very easy to say that now, but what IF he had tried to nick the torch ? Either way, the officer has done their job, they prevented a potential problem.

Unfortunately the armchair experts in policing will now come out and say that they know better.

 

[Mellotron]

All very easy to say that now, but what IF he had tried to nick the torch ? Either way, the officer has done their job, they prevented a potential problem.

Unfortunately the armchair experts in policing will now come out and say that they know better.

His job is to quantify the risk. He failed VERY, VERY badly. I just said I'm NO expert, that's the point. He is meant to be an expert, he has undertaken training for this. I understand him grabbing him initially, but as soon as he saw that the kid was no threat he should've taken it a TAD more easily.

Genuinely, what would your response be if it was an old lady of say 82 that received the same treatment as this kid for walking through the Pompous Security Balloon? Would you still say "well, she isn't innocent, is she?"

 

[Meade's Ball]

Whenever i suspect a child to be explosive near me, i always wrestle him or her to the ground, looking to cover the eruption with my unbreakable body. My predictions have been thus far incorrect and, yes, i've been chased by their families and friends thanks to the odd fracture here and there to their person, but it's my job, i think, to really prevent the things my lunatic mind imagines to ever come true. If there are more of us maniac, unlicensed cops throw ourselves into the juvenile line of fire, then underage tearaways won't get the chance to blow up proceedings just for the hell of it.

 

[Doc Lynam]

Whenever i suspect a child to be explosive near me, i always wrestle him or her to the ground, looking to cover the eruption with my unbreakable body. My predictions have been thus far incorrect and, yes, i've been chased by their families and friends thanks to the odd fracture here and there to their person, but it's my job, i think, to really prevent the things my lunatic mind imagines to ever come true. If there are more of us maniac, unlicensed cops throw ourselves into the juvenile line of fire, then underage tearaways won't get the chance to blow up proceedings just for the hell of it.

lol just out of interest do you have a personal security bubble?

 

[Doc Lynam]

I (someone completely unqualified for security) was able to see on FIRST viewing very quickly that it was clearly just a little kid who posed no threat whatsoever.

If he can't see that then he isn't really qualified for the job he is doing. Surely it is ESSENTIAL that he can quantify any possible threats/risks very quickly, what if he CLATTERS some old Doris who wanders into The Security Bubble (TM) next?

This with bells on.

 

[Mellotron]

Whenever i suspect a child to be explosive near me, i always wrestle him or her to the ground, looking to cover the eruption with my unbreakable body. My predictions have been thus far incorrect and, yes, i've been chased by their families and friends thanks to the odd fracture here and there to their person, but it's my job, i think, to really prevent the things my lunatic mind imagines to ever come true. If there are more of us maniac, unlicensed cops throw ourselves into the juvenile line of fire, then underage tearaways won't get the chance to blow up proceedings just for the hell of it.

Superb post, as per.

 

[gully is my god]

love the way the bbc only say its a male....

no mention of the fact that its a child.

it would sound a lot worse if they had.

 

[Meade's Ball]

lol just out of interest do you have a personal security bubble?

I have a small team of lookalikes of varying sizes and breeds. This confuses the terrorist children. Will it be the regular me that scythes them down, or will it be lemur me bounding and sprinting toward them with its dancing, hypnotic tail? Might it be the pelican me with a pigeon me in its bill waddling in their direction or could it be the cyclops me with the laser eye? I also have a magic mushroom gas i fire at possible offenders.

 

[libra-gully]

As one of the Torch carriers next week in Sussex, I have been given a list of do's and don'ts that reads like a version of war and peace.

To be blunt most of 'the rules' are extremely petty, but relate to the fact that sponsors such as Samsung, Lloyds Bank, Coca Cola and EDF have the whole event stitched up.

For example, because the uniform has been designed by Adidas, I cannot wear trainers showing the emblems of Puma, Nike or others.

Also any mention of the various charities that 'runners' are normally associated with (in my case The Royal Alex Childrens Hospital, Brighton) is not allowed for fear of upsetting one of the corporate partners.

What a great legacy?

 

[Doc Lynam]

As one of the Torch carriers next week in Sussex, I have been given a list of do's and don'ts that reads like a version of war and peace.

To be blunt most of 'the rules' are extremely petty, but relate to the fact that sponsors such as Samsung, Lloyds Bank, Coca Cola and EDF have the whole event stitched up.

For example, because the uniform has been designed by Adidas, I cannot wear trainers showing the emblems of Puma, Nike or others.

Also any mention of the various charities that 'runners' are normally associated with (in my case The Royal Alex Childrens Hospital, Brighton) is not allowed for fear of upsetting one of the corporate partners.

What a great legacy?

This is what i find so upsetting about major sport events these days. It has very little to do with sport but everything to do with branding, product placement and the money contained in it. These sporting event's are simply a vehicle for a few people to make alot of money. And then when the police feel it appropriate to use such force on a corporate event is just wrong. There is more honesty and integrity in watching kids play in the park. By the way i do hope you enjoy your day, for what it's worth, and it's great to hear someone who sees the irony and hypocrisy in the whole thing. You were just lucky you didn't have a rich business man from abroad taking your place, as has happened in other parts of the run! That really was disgusting that the Olympics can be bought in fav of hard working local people who gave so much to their communities in return for a big cheque.

 

[Fef]

This is what i find so upsetting about major sport events these days. It has very little to do with sport but everything to do with branding, product placement and the money contained in it. These sporting event's are simply a vehicle for a few people to make alot of money. ...

Hits the nail on the head. We can't upset the soddin' sponsors, can we?

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Well without the sponsors putting their hands in their pockets the cost to taxpayers would be much greater, petty but its a small price to pay.

 

[Stoo82]

His job is to quantify the risk. He failed VERY, VERY badly. I just said I'm NO expert, that's the point.

Unbelievable arrogance.

 

[Sheebo]

f***ing out of order. Esp the bit where he puts his whole arm accross the lads throat. Disturbingly heavy handed - jobsworth ****

 

[Sheebo]

Also, people using 'of' instead of 'have' is a really annoying facebook generation trend IMO

 

[life on mars 73]

Personally, can't see why anyone should want to get excited about this piece of Nazi pagan ritualism. Goebbels came up with the idea of the torch relay in 1936.....

 

[Wardy]

Having watched a bit of the torch relay (my 5 year old can sit and watch it for ages), it seems to me that this "Bubble" moves through a lot of open areas. The lad was riding his bike down the road and the "bubble" caught up with him. So what if he did steal the torch. It is a torch at the end of the day. People are selling them on eBay. While I understand and agree they cannot have anyone who fancies a go grabbing it, a kid on a bike who happens to want to ride along side the relay?

 

[MJsGhost]

Of course it looks heavy-handed, particularly when you know it's just a kid and that there was absolutely no danger, but I don't really see justification for the level of hand-wringing about it.

Did the kid suffer injuries? (I honestly don't know, but assume not from the footage) Was the officer really that aggressive? OK, so he took the kid down, but it looks as though he tried to just pluck him off the bike & move him out of the way, then overbalanced. Yes, in hindsight, if he'd taken a second look he may have taken a slightly less drastic measure... BUT the guy has been trained to take decisive action if he suspects something is up and (though an error of judgement in that split-second), he took action. If you consider what the threat could have been, is wrestling someone off a bike really so drastic? Was there really a danger of being run over by a car going at 5mph behind? Was the officer not in line to get run over too if that was the case?
The likelihood is, the kid got a bruise and a graze for his trouble - how many kids go through life without falling off their bike a few times so is that really such a big deal?
Anyone with an ounce of sense would not have been so close to the torch bearer in the first place. He got too close, he ended up getting dragged off his bike. He'll live. I really don't think the officer's actions looked aggressive enough to be worried about - he was just doing his job (albeit clumsily).

If that had been a kid of mine, I'd be giving the little sod a clip round the ear for putting himself in that situation in the first place!

 

[Albumen]

If I was him I'd have him for assault. It's only a f***ing replica torch.