Police criticised for staging mock burglaries

cafecolour

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/29/police-burglary-exeter

Apparently a police department thought it a good idea to break into peoples homes to teach them a lesson on how easy it is to rob them.

The mind boggles at this - what if they found illegal drugs? What if the homeowner took a pipe to them - would that be assaulting an officer?

Or what'll be next - pretend kidnapping to teach kids to be aware of their surroundings? Drug fueled orgies to demonstrate how easy it is to get drugs and hookers?

I really don't know how anyone thought this was a good idea. Or am I missing something?

AnonoBoy

Remember in LA when they staged that mock beating with Officer Rodney King?

That didn't end well at all.

Wazdakka

If I came down in the morning and found my valuables in a "swag bag" with a note from the police telling me how to prevent burgleries..
I'd sue the fúckers blind.

consultech

Jesus, easy money for the "victims". There's piles of legal precedents almost guaranteeing it, generally around the nervous shock area. The criteria for suing for nervous shock, as laid out by Denham J. in Mullally V. Bus Eireann is:

- Exposure to a recognisable stress or trauma outside the range of usual human experience, which would evoke significant symptoms of distress in almost anyone,
- Re-experiencing of the trauma through intrusive memories,nightmares or flashbacks or intensification of symptoms through exposure to situations resembling or symbolising the event,
- Avoidance of stimuli related to the trauma or numbing of general responsiveness indicated by avoidance of thoughts or feelings, or of situations associated with the trauma, amnesia for important aspects of the trauma, diminished interest in activities, feelings of estrangement from others, constricted effect,sense of foreshortened future,
- Increased arousal indicated by sleep disturbance, anger outbursts, difficulty concentrating, hyper vigilance, exaggerated startle response, psychological reactivity to situations resembling or symbolising the trauma,
- Duration of disturbance at least one month.

bonerm

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Remember in LA when they staged that mock beating with Officer Rodney King?

That didn't end well at all.

.... or when police take bribes, confiscated valuables or kickbacks in order to highlight the prevalance of white-collar crime in our society.

Sterling work fellas.

DamienH

I used to live in Cardiff and the police just walked into my house one morning. They said something like "See how easy it was, we could have been thieves." Eh, get out of my house please. I wasn't the only person I knew that this happened to either.

Run_to_da_hills

We must give the Daily Mail credit, they were out with this story over six weeks ago.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250174/Police-pose-burglars-bid-cut-break-ins.html

Wazdakka

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

We must give the Daily Mail credit, they were out with this story over six weeks ago.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250174/Police-pose-burglars-bid-cut-break-ins.html

Ha....

irish_goat

DamienH wrote: »

I used to live in Cardiff and the police just walked into my house one morning. They said something like "See how easy it was, we could have been thieves." Eh, get out of my house please. I wasn't the only person I knew that this happened to either.

I lived in Cardiff too and whatever you think about it that technique works. For the first few weeks of college you could call round your friends to find the door unlocked or even lying open. After the police did their rounds it was a different story.

cafecolour

Wow, I didn't realize this was that prevalent.

I'd better go fill in the punji pit under my doormat. I'm going to have to come with a new way to get rid of the chuggers now.

opinion guy

cafecolour wrote: »

The mind boggles at this - what if they found illegal drugs? What if the homeowner took a pipe to them - would that be assaulting an officer?

Nevermind that, what happens when they saunter into a shop's basement where the owner has tied up a fighting boxer and drug-dealer in bondage gear, gagged them and gone to get the gimp ??? That could be embarassing for all.....

cafecolour

opinion guy wrote: »

Nevermind that, what happens when they saunter into a shop's basement where the owner has tied up a fighting boxer and drug-dealer in bondage gear, gagged them and gone to get the gimp ??? That could be embarassing for all.....

I thought the police were quite down for joining in the fun in that instance!

Though you'd think coppers would know better than to trust security to a gimp.

Nulty

Wazdakka wrote: »

Ha....

Hmmmm....my brothers bought those 5-6 times.

landsleaving

Nulty wrote: »

Hmmmm....my brothers bought stolen those 5-6 times.

FYP

JohnMearsheimer

irish_goat wrote: »

I lived in Cardiff too and whatever you think about it that technique works. For the first few weeks of college you could call round your friends to find the door unlocked or even lying open. After the police did their rounds it was a different story.

DamienH wrote: »

I used to live in Cardiff and the police just walked into my house one morning. They said something like "See how easy it was, we could have been thieves." Eh, get out of my house please. I wasn't the only person I knew that this happened to either.

I lived in Cardiff too in the Cathays area. The police just strolled into the house one morning too and gave all of us the third degree. It was a disconcerting having strangers walk into the house....even if it was the police. But it worked!