Dedicated riot police?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 651465
  • Start date Start date

Deleted member 651465

Deleted member 651465

Hey all,

I'm interested in the opinions of OcUK for or against a dedicated riot branch within the police service, for an essay I have to write.

I've already spoken to several police officers, but this is the easiest way to reach "the general public" without doing a questionnaire.

Yey or ney? :)
 
Do we really have enough riots to warrant the cost? I know football matches and the like need extra policing but I see no need for a whole new riot branch
 
I don't think that there should be a riot branch, but all police offers should be taught basic skills on how to handle riot scenarios.
 
the opinions of OcUK
Click to expand...
are not
"the general public"
Click to expand...
As have been shown in umpteen polls, surveys and suchlike.

That said, first thoughts are that it seems a bit unnecessary - individual police forces should have officers trained in crowd control and suchlike of course, but I'd have thought it comes under the general banner of 'policing' rather than requiring a dedicated 'riot branch' :)
 
Let me explain where I am going with my essay..

Say you police a neighbourhood, you know the residents and you are used to dealing with their problems on a day to day basis.. then you are called up to police a public order event (football match) and Mrs Jones sees you all kitted up in full riot gear.. she's going to feel a bit awkward seeing you smacking some lout on the news, and therefore less likely to communicate her feelings next time.

As for OcUK != the general public.. I know, hence the quotation marks ;)
 
Well we already have the riot police anyway, they do a lot more than public order though. Probably respect them a bit more than the rest of the force due to the stuff they deal with and a normal person would hopefully understand they are just doing their job of keeping others safe.
 
I presume that you’re talking about something on the lines of the French CRS.

In answer to your question, no. We don’t have enough public unrest to have a dedicated riot police organisation in this country, what we have is good enough. It would be the frist step towards a police state.
 
No, when was the last time we had a riot that would have required such a scheme? Total waste of money and time so Labour will probably lap it up if you propose it.
 
What do they do for the 99.999% of the time when we're not rioting?


Answer -- absolutely nothing (maybe a bit of training once a month). Whilst laughing. And being paid by us.

'Nay'. I also don't want a full-time employed (tax-payer paid) 'anti-volcano unit' based in the UK for roughly the same reasons ...
 
Burnsy2023 said:
Are you referring to units such as the Met's Territorial Support Group? They're not riot police per se, but public order support officers who do a vast range of specialist operations other than riots.
Click to expand...

Well, the question is..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Burnsy2023 said:
Drugs raids, anti terror operations, policing public events, the list goes on.
Click to expand...

The OP used the exact phrase 'dedicated riot branch'.

If I am a 'dedicated network support analyst' it doesn't mean 'When the network is fine go make some sandwiches in the canteen for everyone' .. I think it means 'you are dedicated to that thing no matter what'. :|
 
EVH said:
Well, the question is..

Code: 
The responsibilities for policing of public disorder events should be carried 
out by a specialist branch of the service whose exclusive role is public order. 
Discuss.
Click to expand...

Ok, so that doesn't include the TSG. The exclusive role thing makes it financially and operationally unviable. You can't afford such inflexible units without the operational need.
 
Do we have enough riots to warrant it? Furthermore being based in one geographical location makes getting to riots throughout the country difficult and costly.
 
I'm pretty sure every force has a TSG. Though a lot of their work is searching for evidence, digging up drains etc. Only a small percentage would be dealing with 'riots'.

Don't see why there would be a need for a specialist team as a vast number of officers are PSU trained and do a good job. Only time it could be beneficial is when they are in desperate need, which happened recently in Nottingham. Had to draft in Officers from Leicestershire and maybe Derbyshire but can't be sure.
 
There is no operational need for a dedicated riot unit in the UK.

All forces have a reserve force of PSU trained officers and most have TSG units although they are not dedicated riot police.

The CRS are that brand of police I do not want to see in the UK, namely borderline paramilitary and a lot less accountable than officers in this country.

Water cannons and CS cannisters are the norm for them and neither have been deployed on the streets of the UK to date with a possible exception of Northern Ireland.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom