Why a taser in every police car is a really bad idea
Hulk with a potentially tasable member of his public
Hulk Hogan-Howe brought his tough talk to LBC radio yesterday.
He wants his men to carry more tasers, after four officers were stabbed at the weekend:
“I think it should be a vehicle board option. I think to have them in vehicles…one of the options is every police car another one might be one of our response cars – there are various options – the dog car might carry it.”
A taser in every police car is a really bad idea. British police do not routinely carry dangerous weapons. Routine is the word at issue here. Put a taser in every car and you put the option to tase in every officer’s hand, for every incident. We’ve seen plenty of examples in recent years of why that may not be a prudent thing to do.
Have a look here for what happens in America when you turn policemen into a militia. It’s really ugly.
The police are there to protect the public and investigate crimes. When they are armed by default against their own employers, then they have lost sight of their original purpose.
Hulk’s quote, in fairness, does outline a variety of options. It’s worth knowing that Amnesty concedes:
“There are instances when Tasers can be an effective weapon.”
So if you are opposed to tasers full stop, well you’re in a minority. They might be better than shooting someone. But that’s about it.
To summarise:
Having a few more tasers in support vehicles ready when called upon – I don’t like it but I could be persuaded.
Having a taser in every patrol car – oh good god no.
Harrow Observer – Police officers ‘stabbed’ in Kingsbury
LBC – Bernard Hogan-Howe Wants More Police Tasers
The Guardian – Amnesty criticises Met police’s Taser expansion plans
The Atlantic – Turning Patrolmen Into Soldiers: How Did We Let This Happen?
Snipe – Hogan-Howe: for now, it’s all about the PR
Photo: Metropolitan Police
23 Nov 2011
London agenda for Wednesday 23 November
1. Go to the Star of Kings for an unorthodox variety show [Le Cool]
2. Mike Pollitt alert! View extinct birds as drawn by Peter Blake, Ralph Steadman, Charming Baker, Rob Ryan and Kai & Sunny at Ghosts of Gone Birds [Run Riot]
3. Listen to French/Finnish electro-indie-pop duo The Dø in Hoxton- [Flavorpill]
4. Watch some athletic aerobicists at La Soirée [Time Out]
5. Hear Gang Gang Dance and About Group at the ULU [Don’t Panic]
6. Join the folly cognoscenti for a discussion on Exotic Follies in Georgian England [Ian Visits]
7. See Tacita Dean’s FILM at the Tate [Tired of London]
23 Nov 2011
Back to Back (Sun Glitters Remix) by Wolfgang
Check out this distortedly pretty reworking of Wolfgang’s Back to Back, courtesy of Victor Ferreira, aka Sun Glitters. Ol’ Victor has been busy adding his decidedly glitchy magic to tracks by Neon Cloud and Cream Child, as well as compiling a mixtape for the For Robots and Humans blog – no Snipe London of course (obvs), but well worth a look none the less.
22 Nov 2011
2012 volunteers uniforms are out: at least the cuffs are nice
Meh.
Quite like the button details on the red cuffs. They save the whole ensemble from looking too much like a university orienteering club on their annual trip to Norway.
In fairness this is an impossible design job. It’s fine.
Delighted to see the technicians will be wearing blazers, shirt and tie. Quite right too.
See all the press pictures here.
22 Nov 2011
Mt. Eerie, Nicholas Krgovoch
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Road, NW1 7AY
Cecil Sharp House, on the outskirts of Regent’s Park, is home to the English Folk Dance and Song Society (everyone knew that right?) and is named after its founder. Suitably, for a venue which sounds like the living quarters of a particularly randy Conservative MP, November 22nd sees a performance from dark croon pop smoothy Nicolas Krgovich, in support of Washington slow burners Mount Eerie. This is the fourth and final date of a short, joint European tour. Dancing is encouraged.
Nicolas Krgovich photo by Gus Franklin
22 Nov 2011
Zebra and Snake - Burden
Releasing tracks into the blogosphere like so many bright helium balloons is the internet-age equivalent of the Hit Single. It was only a matter of time, then, before song trailers started to appear. Zebra and Snake were stars of our Nov 2011 issue, and here’s a taste of their next track “Burden”, coming soon to an internet near you, in advance of their debut album “Healing Music” early next year.
22 Nov 2011
Pay up or we'll blame you for the crap state of your kid's education, says school
Below is a letter received by parents of children who attend the Green Church of England Primary School in Tottenham.
In a nutshell, the treasurer is begs – earnestly – for the parents of each child to come up with £90 or the government will cut £630 of funding per child. Also, students that do not pay up will be banned from clubs and fun outings.
The Green Church of England Primary School
Somerset Road, Tottenham N17 9EJ
Tel: 020 8808 2588 / Fax 020 8885 1995
November 2011
Dear parents and carers,
Re: ….(name of pupil)…year…
I would like to remind you that the school is still in need of your maintenance money.
I wrote to you in September this year explaining that the government will only fund 90% of our building maintenance and repairs, the school has to pay the other 10%. If we fail to collect the 10% we lose the 90% the government will pay.
I do earnestly beg you to take this opportunity to join all the other parents/carers who have already paid their share of this responsibility. Please put your money in an envelope clearly marked ‘maintenance fund’ with your child’s name on it and hand it into the school office.
Unfortunately money goes out faster than it comes in and we still owe our Summer and Autumn term payments of £2180 to the London Diocesan Board for schools. We also need to be putting money aside for both current and future repairs and maintenance. So it is very important that we collect all the maintenance money that is due.
If you would like to talk to me about this, I am in school every Monday, and a quick telephone call to the school will get you an appointment to see me.
Last year the Governors debated actions that could be taken to improve this situation. Although no decisions have been made yet, they asked me to convey their thoughts to you:
1) Those who have not paid cannot take part in after school clubs
2) Those who have not paid cannot take part in fun outings.
Yours sincerely,
Albert Ryder (I.ENG.MIET)
Treasurer.
You currently owe….£70
Grant we lose……….£630
Source: Haringay Solidarity
Via: The London IWW
22 Nov 2011
London agenda for Tuesday 22 November
1. Find out what the catwalk says about contemporary civilisation with design and fashion historian Emmanuelle Dirix at Fashioning the Future in the TFL Museum [Le Cool]
2. Listen to a recovered heroin and crack addict share his story of the highs and the lows, then eat some food at Storythyme [Run Riot]
3. Hear modern strings in the Village Underground at Strings Masterclass [Flavorpill]
4. Finally visit the Shacklewell Arms for Fools Gold [Don’t Panic]
5. Go skating at Somerset House [Time Out] (Starts today – skating is open until 22 Jan)
6. Discover the story of Marie Curie and also why handling radium is a bad idea [Ian Visits]
7. Drink Pigs Ear at the Pig’s Ear [Tired of London]
22 Nov 2011
El Diablo by Applescal
A record full of ‘Atari-esque synth stabs, keening psychedelia and 1980s drum sounds’, this is top stuff from the young Dutch producer, a skilled remixer and recipient of ‘De Grote Prijs van Nederland’, Holland’s biggest dance award. El-Diablo is taken from his new EP of the same name, available for free via the website of the RTFKT collective – a multi-functional platform supporting electronic artists.
21 Nov 2011
Irony Alert: the Occupy protests are Cameron's Big Society in action
Compare:
“What this is all about is giving people more power and control to improve their lives and communities.” – David Cameron on the Big Society.
It’s taken longer than the PM would have liked, but it seems like the Big Society might be finally getting somewhere.
21 Nov 2011
Snipe Highlights
Some popular articles from past years
- Silencing the Brick Lane curry touts could be fatal for the city's self-esteem
- The five best places in London to have an epiphany
- A unique collection of photos of Edwardian Londoners
- London has chosen its mayor, but why can’t it choose its own media?
- Could red kites be London's next big nature success story?
- Number of people using Thames cable car plunges
- Only 16 commuters touch in to Emirates Air Line, figures reveal
- 9 poems about London: one for each of your moods
- Hope and despair in Woolwich town centre
- Random Interview: Eileen Conn, co-ordinator of Peckham Vision
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