Thread: Police shoot 15yo boy in Melbourne

Originally Posted by antvc

"a short extending baton"
I was thinking of those long wooden batons some of which have a short handle on the side.

Then if that didn't work , use the gun
I am not against the police using guns if they have to

You watch to much TV ( The Bill) pommy cops carry this, and will only use it on an unarmed but violent offender. Armed offenders they just shoot, with a very nice little bit of kit the MP5 in 9mm. forget about 6 bullets try 30

Reading the comments and arguments initially gave rise to a feeling of shame. Shame that I "associated" with people on this site who have no idea of a situation and yet vent an opinion.

My apologies to those people. It is a fibre of our society that we are allowed an opinion and the freedom to express it. This freedom is one of our rights which we ask, demand, our police protect. Therefore I should not be ashamed of one's opinion, I am however, ashamed of our inability to support our police.

The young lad killed? My son remarked after pulling a fifteen year old from a motor vehicle wreck, a 15 year old who died in his arms, a 15 year old who had stolen the motor vehicle he had just crashed - my son said, "Dad the kid was what you call a feral, but you know Dad, when the kid's Mum arrived at the scene, her pain was no different to what you or Mum would feel if one of us (one of my three sons) had just died".

This young bloke's Mum may be "putting on the bleeding heart etc" but the woman has just lost her son. A son she has only had for a short period. Her pain is real.

The police. Thank God they stood by each other and their training. I don't want my sons to hesitate. I don't want to ask why didn't he fire his gun. I don't want to try to justify that my sons' lives were worth that of a person threatening them and the public with a weapon.

I want my sons' to come home after their shift is over. I want each and every copper to come home to their Dad.

The police involved in this tragedy? I ask - if our soldiers had killed a Taliban rebel in Afghanistan or a young lad laying an IED in Baghdad - would we ask the questions whether they could have fired to wound?

Make no mistake, our police are at war. They fight an enemy who worship ice, crack, people who reject society and gather in gangs.

Most of all, our police battle our lethargy. We, society blame them for not coming soon enough - do you honestly think two constables hear an urgent call for help and sit there and say "nah, finish our coffee first". If you think that you are an idiot. Let me say that again, think that - you are stupid, a moron. I don't want to talk to you.

The coppers arrest them, lock 'em up and take to 'em to court. The crooks plea my Dad did this or that, I was drugged .... the judge says "bad boy - now if you do this again you are in trouble because 11 times so far is too many". No more comment on that.

What do you, yes you, do about that. Are you one of those who said the cops should of done this or that, the cops used too much force. If you are I know one thing.

I know, and everyone reading those comments, knows you have never faced a knife, you have never faced a drugged crazed lunatic, you have never had a member of your family threatened, assaulted or at risk, you have never faced a gun, you have never discharged a weapon in an act of defence.

You have never had your courage tested. Thank God you are not on the streets tonight protecting us. Thank God you will never be in a situation where you have to make a split second decision whether to serve and protect or die yourself.

Thank God for those young men and women who go to work each day and night not knowing what "society" will throw at them. But they go.

Victorians. If you feel these police have been too forceful I ask you. Have you written to the Police Commissioner or your local member asking why tazers are not in use in Victoria. Have you? Why not? You have an opinion now, didn't you have an opinion before?

Have you asked why the protection we give our police is decades behind the weapons the crooks use? Did you know or care that our officers use weapons that have been in use for over 50 years - would you use your damned computer if it was more than 3 years old. Yes, new pistols are on the way - did you help in that decision making process.

Demand tazers. Demand them now. Oh yes, I forgot - tazers may, that's correct, may cause heart attacks. Better rescind my last remark, better not get them - a crazed druggie may have a heart attack. God forbid.

To the many contributors of this thread, I have taken a great deal of heart from the comments and I sincerely thank those who have supported our police.

Any support, however small, is so deeply appreciated by the serving members.

I wonder how often someone actually writes a note of thanks to the police. Or even walk into the station with nothing but a word of thanks.

Criticism? I wonder if that is the toughest part of their job - putting up with the loud, outspoken minority of people who know no better.

Don't blame three officers for making a decision that we have asked them to do. We ask them to protect us. It's a bad world out there.

Nice response Barra - Thanks

Well put Barra, my thanks also.

Firstly let me say that my thoughts are with the mother, who lost her son in this tragic scene today. This is the most awful thing that could happen to any parent with someone so young.

Barra

You are absolutely correct, when the Police arrive at the scene of an incident, whatever action they take someone believes they are wrong.

I worked as a nurse in Long Bay Gaol many years ago, and if you believed the people wearing green it was always the Police's fault they were in there.

The Police aren't to blame for society, they are out there doing an unthankful job in police services around the country who are underfunded and losing senior officers quicker than they can train new ones. That is why that have had to lower the standards so that the "big burly copper" is the exception rather than the rule. It is why there was no one on today's tragic scene that was a trained negotiator, not that it would have done any good.

We need to support our police, doing a stressful job with less than adequate resources.

Diana

there is a good chance the death of this 15 yr old is the last of a long list of tragedies in his life.

Police firearms training is very good these days. Police are trained to take two shots not one because a handgun is quite inaccurate and chances are in a high risk situation you will miss. Two officers means at least 4 shots. They are not trained to take leg, arm or head shots with glocks, but aim for the biggest part of the target being the torso. When the target is moving forward and the cops are moving backward with high tension you are lucky to get one shot to hit - he must have been pretty close.

tazers are really good (not perfect), and work well in our climate with hot weather ie light clothing. A situation like that ends real quick with a taser. I've had a tazer experience or two and they work real well.

Well, me thoughts are with the copper who had to pull the trigger.
If the kids "mother" felt so much for her son, why did she let a 15yr old hang out with a white supremacist group in the first place???
Oh, because she didnt know??? OK, kids do the darndest things sometimes, but pahleeeeeese, is she blind?????

Is she really that upset or could some of it be guilt???

I have absolutely no sympathy for those that have no respect for themselves and others and it is quite clear that this kid was one of these people.

The Police had a job to do, no matter how hard it is, and they did it.

Guns dont kill people, kids brandishing meat cleavers at Police and failing to stop after 2 cans of pepper sray and repeated attempts to negotiate and acting on supremacist/terroristic actions get people killed.

NEXT!!!!!!