In the news

Would you like stabbed with a screwdriver?

It doesn't look likely that he can trivially stab anyone, the officers appear to have room to step backwards.

https://twitter.com/CrimeLdn/status/1533136866035347457

Fair point. They could step back until he has access to someone to stab. That makes complete sense. At what point do you draw a line in the sand before you do something? When he murders someone? The guy in America who murdered school children with a rifle last week was shot dead. Should he have been reasoned with? Whilst the reasoning goes on, the chances of more fatalities is there. And I know I am raising the bar there but at some stage you need to draw a line in the sand. Totally appropriate, lawful, proportionate and subject to scrutiny. Decisions have to be made to protect people and, believe it or not, police officers are people too.

The guy in America who murdered school children with a rifle last week was shot dead.

Wasn't the complaint there that he was not shot quick enough?

That's bullshit and we should never look to America for anything police, quite the opposite and any force should be the last resort, certainly after stepping backwards, but before they murder someone.

There seems to be a guy videoing the whole thing who is quite close to the incident. Do you not think he is at risk? There may be pedestrians on the bridge who can’t escape. Hard to see from one angle. Maybe a deaf, blind or disabled person who can’t sprint away. A screwdriver will puncture a window and the person behind the window.
It’s unfortunate that the taser does not make the guy compliant at all. Why it happened - mental illness, drugs or whatever is sad and the fact it happened is sad but the police officers were protecting lives - the public and their own. I have to imagine that you do not work in a public facing role where confrontation happens - it is not an easy place to be. The officers should be commended and not derided - i can imagine your outrage if they walked away and the guy filming was murdered. Split second decisions have to be made and, until you have been in such a position, I don’t think you should make judgements.

I agree. Force is the last resort, from the video, reasonable conversation does not look like a viable option. Police officers are not disposable items as a lot of people seem to think, they have lives and families and they like to go home after work - like most people. Most people are not confronted with life threatening situations at work and don’t have to worry if they will get home on a frequent basis.
I shouldn’t have used the USA example but it related to the level of force not the preceding interaction.

The news reported that. In this scenario - the guy would have been shot - had it been in America and the OP would complain about the level of force used.
USA was probably a bad example - my fault.

https://mobile.twitter.com/adamdavidson/status/1533082314321842179

Reading this thread and it makes me sick.

If a limited company produces a potentially defamatory statement, is the liability limited to the company or does it extend to the owners?

Contemplating the possibilities of creating a limited company that crowd sources funds for billboards / print ads that call these people what they are. I guess the media wouldn't run the ads in any case.

Although I wonder if you could register the company in a different jurisdiction and run the ads there? Probably cheaper to takeover the billboards in down town Manilla, for example, and get photos of the ads all over Twitter.

Most people don't have the de-escalation, self defense training and body armour that uniformed officers have. There isn't a lot of evidence of that being used. The Met have form for tasering people in the back that are running away.

And you see them running away in the video? Catch yourself on. What bit of ‘their lives are at risk’ are you missing? You don’t see any risk to anyone? The guy taking the video perhaps? Give it up.

I am not trying to justify every compliant that the Met receives. Perhaps they get it right on occasion? I’m sure you are willing to continue to disagree - do you work in a public facing confrontational role?
My pedantic nature notes that tasering someone in the back could happen if the person turns around - but I’m sure you would argue that would never happen.
Give it up.

The guy taking the video is a fair distance away. I'm not convinced the threat is that high to start with to justify lethal force[1] and the screwdriver was dropped when the Taser was first fired anyway. Had the officer not fired the Taser again the chap might have run away, not over the edge of the bridge.

[1] When Tasers were introduced to the UK we were told they were instead of a firearms response and wouldn't be generally in other situations.

Look. I have been biting my tongue since your first post. Fuck off! Go outside and get someone to run at you from 20 feet. Much longer distance than the two officers. Try and do something to stop them. Run away is your option - nothing else. Those officers stood their ground and dealt with the situation. You may be unhappy with what happened. It is sad the guy went off the bridge - I agree with that. But, did the officers push him? What threat was he to the public and the officers? You cannot say as the video doesn’t show everything. I do believe the guy taking the video was at risk and I cannot say who was also at risk in the vicinity. Please give up trying to vilify these officers - start looking for something where you can justify yourself - this isn’t one of them.
I’m glad the officers and the public were not injured. You will likely disagree and I will refer you to my F Off comment above.

Neither of you were there, this is lols

[Link to Reddux website removed]

I didn't properly research or read this.

"Yikes"...definitely came across as a cunt typing that. Apologies. I'll leave it there for posterity.

Disclaimer: I am 100% in favour of people identifying as the gender they truly are, not what they have been born as physically.

I think "biological males" should be left out of female sporting divisons.

But OK, not news, not productive and invites destructive arguments. Not my intention, despite appearances.

The article doesn’t mention Jo Smiths’s post on the result

1 Attachment

This is not news or productive

Yikes

In what way?

I think "biological males" should be left out of female sporting divisons.

What does this have to do with an event that didn't have female divisions?

Yeah, I don't know why that was my caption. I've edited my post in a vain attempt to look like a better person. My only point was that, for me, it's an example (within something we can appreciate) that sport isn't level playing field for the various, fully legitimate, gender identifications.

While, the rest of life, certainly is.

I've had a mare here.

If you have opinions on trans people in sport, linking to a terf website that purposefully misgenders people speaks volumes.

I just thought you meant ‘yikes’, as in, what a shit article.

I didn't even know what the website was. I'll just take this one on the chin. Sorry folks.

If they have to use the term “biological”, they’re not trans inclusive.