[News] Life was less complicated three or four decades back…….

[Arthur]

Sussex police not having a good week.

They managed to sting a mate of mine and two other innocent parties on the slip road of the M23 on Monday when the car they were after decided to stay on the motorway but the officer still deployed the stinger.

The officer then had the cheek to tell my pal that he would have to claim on his insurance to get it repaired. He's over £500 out of pocket currently for the recovery and replacement tyres. Thankfully the officer was completely wrong and there is a procedure in place for instances like this and he's been told he'll get reimbursed. He obviously won't get the 4.5 hours it took him to get home back though.

 

[el punal]

I used to carry one of these as a "concealed" weapon. Lived to tell the tale.
View attachment 195821

They’re great fun . . . . but honestly, the price of potatoes these days.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

These days...

 

[MJsGhost]

lets not ignore the member of the public that caused this. we dont routinely have armed police patroling parks, someone phoned in " there's someone in the park with a gun", not stopping to think the bright blue and orange thing is a toy.

I too am sick to death of the police responding to reports of potential gun crime. Even worse they then proceed to act as if the person with a gun could be dangerous. Ludicrous!

They should just send a community support officer round, armed only with a bic biro, ideally 2 or 3 days after the reported event.

Absolutely no issue of the police responding to the report of a potential gun as if there's a gun, no matter how unlikely.

Very easy to be wise in hindsight. Nothing bad happened. Move on.

THESE.

What are the police supposed to do when someone phones in a sighting of someone with a gun?

The response might have been different 30 years ago, but these days (THESE DAYS), it's more likely that there's a real threat (sadly), so this is the response we get.

The best outcome (once the call was made) would have been for the plod to have made an immediate assessment and seen it was just kids, so not go in so shouty. However, that probably would have gone against what they are supposed to do.
At the end of the day, it's just a couple of kids with a good story to tell now.
Making the wrong call if there had been a threat (however unlikely) could have ended up with someone being shot.

Being kind to the 999 caller, maybe it was someone with poor eyesight just thinking they were doing their duty?

 

[Guinness Boy]

THESE.

What are the police supposed to do when someone phones in a sighting of someone with a gun?

The response might have been different 30 years ago, but these days (THESE DAYS), it's more likely that there's a real threat (sadly), so this is the response we get.

The best outcome (once the call was made) would have been for the plod to have made an immediate assessment and seen it was just kids, so not go in so shouty. However, that probably would have gone against what they are supposed to do.
At the end of the day, it's just a couple of kids with a good story to tell now.
Making the wrong call if there had been a threat (however unlikely) could have ended up with someone being shot.

Being kind to the 999 caller, maybe it was someone with poor eyesight just thinking they were doing their duty?

Yep.

If there's a winsome shitstalga angle here at all it's that, back in the day, people didn't spend all day binge watching 'Motorway Cops with Big Nightsticks 56' or doom scrolling real 'street life' crime videos on X, scaring themselves shitless in the process.

 

[Chicken Run]

If you had been born in 1946 then, according to the ONS, it's likely you're due to die literally any moment now.

I know, what a time to shuffle off this mortal coil

 

[Chicken Run]

As long as you are born a straight white male with no disabilities of course.

Well of course…

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

My son shot my friend in the eye with a nerf gun a couple of years ago (by mistake, or so he claims). It did her eye permanent damage! They are dabgerous things.

There's no plaice in society for these guns.

 

[Seagull on the Hill]

There's no plaice in society for these guns.

I knew it wouldn't be long before salmon started the fish puns.

 

[sparkie]

The best years to live were before 2000, maybe stretched to the financial crash of 2008.

Simpler times. More enjoyable times.

No social media to destroy society. No AI and Robotics ( strangely from the same and similar tech oligarchs ) advancing menacingly to steal our jobs.

I can't wait for a time machine to be invented. I'll be straight back to the 80s.

 

[happypig]

These days...

Exactly, I know a bloke who's wife's friend's cousin's husband's golf-buddy's window cleaner got PUT IN PRISON for wishing a MUSLIN "Merry Christmas"

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I used to carry one of these as a "concealed" weapon. Lived to tell the tale.
View attachment 195821

Didn't have the spud gun but remember having a cap gun - the smell of the cap roll after they had been used was great.

 

[bluenitsuj]

The kids should be locked up for a very long time.

 

[wellquickwoody]

THESE.

What are the police supposed to do when someone phones in a sighting of someone with a gun?

The response might have been different 30 years ago, but these days (THESE DAYS), it's more likely that there's a real threat (sadly), so this is the response we get.

The best outcome (once the call was made) would have been for the plod to have made an immediate assessment and seen it was just kids, so not go in so shouty. However, that probably would have gone against what they are supposed to do.
At the end of the day, it's just a couple of kids with a good story to tell now.
Making the wrong call if there had been a threat (however unlikely) could have ended up with someone being shot.

Being kind to the 999 caller, maybe it was someone with poor eyesight just thinking they were doing their duty?

As the OP I realise that Police have to act if gun crime is reported to them. It just might be handy if the officers deployed were able to make a sensible assessment of the situation on the ground, and have a rough idea what a Nerf gun looks like!

As for the kids, they did nothing wrong. The mother? Nothing wrong per se, apart from a little quick to go to the press, but without that happening we would still be looking for a thread to interest us on NSC today.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

There's no plaice in society for these guns.

What a load of pollocks.

 

[Gwylan]

The mother? Nothing wrong per se, apart from a little quick to go to the press

I don't think she did go to the press, she posted in on social media (I saw her post not long after she'd made it) and it's been followed by a journalist. If I'd been working for a local paper, I'd have been on to her as well

 

[Anger]

Greenleas has always been well dodgy. Glad to see more effort being made to keep it safe.

 

[lawros left foot]

I had one of these little beauties when I was about 8.

As an aside, these go for over £500 on EBay.

I don’t think my Dad would have spent what was nearly a years wages on one.

 

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

What a load of pollocks.

I understand

View attachment 195827


I had one of these little beauties when I was about 8.

As an aside, these go for over £500 on EBay.

I don’t think my Dad would have spent what was nearly a years wages on one.

Wow 500 squid!

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I understand

Wow 500 squid!

You'll have to speak up, my herring's going.