"Sylvia Else" wrote in message
news:494da1d0$0$7704$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...
> Don H wrote:
> > "prince andy" wrote in message
> > news:2GY2l.3150$cu.2743@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> >> I wonder whether this young boy who died was one of the brilliant
students
> >> in school or just one of those definitely not going anywhere in life
and
> >> knows too that his chances of being successful in adulthood is just
plain
> >> zero and therefore decided to end his life.
> >> Fortunately he did not decide to end his life by strapping a bomb and
> > taking
> >> a huge number of innocent people with him.
> >> I think it is not unreasonable to expect the Police to risk their own
> > lives
> >> when confronted by knife welding suspect threatening to kill them. If
the
> >> end result had been the death of the policeman, the whole crowd would
have
> >> damned the police for being stupid and unprofessional.
> >> I have sympathy for the mother in her grief but she must realise her
son's
> >> death is as a result of his own making and possibly a much to be
desired
> >> upbringing.
> >>
> >>
> >> Yes police lives are in danger or even permanent injury.
> >> But it is not a matter of blaming his upbringing, or some other
> > extraneous
> >> matter.
> >> The matter should be examined without the character of the boy being
> >> smirched or blaming his parents.
> >> The incident simply gives government and senior police the opportunity
to
> >> examine the police actions to establish whether the incident could
have
> >> been handled more expediently, or if under present training this would
be
> >> the reseult so to consider whether change of training might be a
benefit?
> >>
> >>
> >
> > # Yes, a curious case. He had the option of dropping the knives and
putting
> > his hands up in surrender.
> > On the other hand, police must find some way of incapacitating,
without
> > killing. Guns, and tasers, can be lethal, but what are the
alternatives?
> > Capsicum spray, from a distance?
> >
> >
>
> There doesn't have to be an answer. Indeed, it's probably impossible to
> guarantee to subdue someone from a distance without killing them. After
> all, they may die from hitting their head on the ground.
>
> The use of a Taser in this situation would have been reasonable, and I'd
> be happy to see widespread deployment of that weapon, if only we could
> be assured that police won't use them in situations where lethal force
> would not otherwise be justified, or at least that officers who do use
> them in such situations would be prosecuted for assault.
>
> Sylvia.
>
# Tasers may be alright, but only if used ONCE - repeated use on same person
can induce heart attack, and death.
How come Maddies aren't locked up in Asylums? Because the various State
govts saw asylums located on lovely prime land, and sold them off to their
real estate mates - with loonies turned out to live with family, or roam the
streets.
We don't need to be unduly cynical to find trigger-happy cops using
lethal force; as judge, jury, and executioner. It saves a lot of
paper-work. Particularly if a lenient judge or magistrate lets a crim or
loony or whoever, off.
On the other hand, those among us determined to commit suicide by
provocation, should be allowed to proceed? Like cars running boom gates at
railway crossings, or crashing into a tree at high speed. Let Nature take
its course? (It's just that the innocent may get caught up in the process.)
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