Police order eight-year-old to break toy gun

[ben ashton]

http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/ ... oy_gun.php

His sister Sophie was also banned from riding her battery-powered Barbie car on the pavement

[Mid A 15]

http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/ ... oy_gun.php

His sister Sophie was also banned from riding her battery-powered Barbie car on the pavement

I'm delighted to see our brave Boys In Blue apprehending real criminals.

We can rest easy in our beds knowing that if six foot plus youths were similarly engaged they would be equally as zealous

[J.R.]

I really don't have a problem with this.

Our Grand-Son, when younger, would jump out on us brandishing a very realistic automatic weapon. I found the relevant web-sites to show him exactly just how much damage one shot can do. He hasn't gone near a replica weapon since. A lesson well learnt.

When with plod, I was one of the first to be trained with firearms, and some of the training films and photo's were truly horrific !

[Mid A 15]

I really don't have a problem with this.

Our Grand-Son, when younger, would jump out on us brandishing a very realistic automatic weapon. I found the relevant web-sites to show him exactly just how much damage one shot can do. He hasn't gone near a replica weapon since. A lesson well learnt.

When with plod, I was one of the first to be trained with firearms, and some of the training films and photo's were truly horrific !

It's the double standards John!

Neighbours of mine have complained about vandalism and the police have said nothing can be done because some of the perpetrators are under the age of 10, the criminal age of responsibility. They also fail to respond when older gangs of youths are involved incidentally.

Yet when it suits a bullying thug in a uniform can demand a child's toy be smashed. You know and I know that if the perpetrator was a six foot plus black youth in a hoodie rather than an 8 year old kid that cowardly bullying copper wouldn't be seen for dust.

That's what's annoying.

[J.R.]

I really don't have a problem with this.

Our Grand-Son, when younger, would jump out on us brandishing a very realistic automatic weapon. I found the relevant web-sites to show him exactly just how much damage one shot can do. He hasn't gone near a replica weapon since. A lesson well learnt.

When with plod, I was one of the first to be trained with firearms, and some of the training films and photo's were truly horrific !

It's the double standards John!

Neighbours of mine have complained about vandalism and the police have said nothing can be done because some of the perpetrators are under the age of 10, the criminal age of responsibility. They also fail to respond when older gangs of youths are involved incidentally.

Yet when it suits a bullying thug in a uniform can demand a child's toy be smashed. You know and I know that if the perpetrator was a six foot plus black youth in a hoodie rather than an 8 year old kid that cowardly bullying copper wouldn't be seen for dust.

That's what's annoying.

I fully agree with your comments.

The police today try to do their job with both hands tied behind their backs.

Bring back the good old days when they/we could clip 'em round the ear-'ole and take 'em home to Mum & Dad for another good walloping !

[Mid A 15]

I don't dispute that political correctness in all its guises can hinder the police in executing their duties.

However they often do not help themselves and very often succeed in alienating those who instinctively would empathise with them.

[blondie95]

i agree with what they did, i have been in town and had kids pointing toy guns around and it is quite intimidating.

We were never allowed guns or anything like that as kids.

The govt are doing an investigation into links between children being violent and compute games. I wholly believe there is a link. That people ignore the age restriction on the game and still buy it for the kids.

[Misterbee]

Never mind eight year olds with toy guns! Start worrying about the so called trained professionals (police) who are issued with the real things that are loaded with real bullets. Their track record is dismal. I appreciate anyone in their position has to make a difficult life and death decission, in an instant. I also accept that they are in that unenviable position of being "damned if they do and damned if they dont". However the number of times unarmed persons are shot by the police far outweighs the number of armed persons who are shot by police.

[Mid A 15]

i agree with what they did, i have been in town and had kids pointing toy guns around and it is quite intimidating.

We were never allowed guns or anything like that as kids.

The govt are doing an investigation into links between children being violent and compute games. I wholly believe there is a link. That people ignore the age restriction on the game and still buy it for the kids.

You raise a good question. In an increasingly lawless society should it be legal to sell replica firearms particularly when there is a good chance they will be misused / abused?

However at present toy guns ARE LEGAL which is why I consider the actions of the Copper towards the 8 year old to be at best high handed and at worst downright intimidatory.

How is that child likely to perceive the police from now on I wonder?

[loringa]

Never mind eight year olds with toy guns! Start worrying about the so called trained professionals (police) who are issued with the real things that are loaded with real bullets. Their track record is dismal. I appreciate anyone in their position has to make a difficult life and death decission, in an instant. I also accept that they are in that unenviable position of being "damned if they do and damned if they dont". However the number of times unarmed persons are shot by the police far outweighs the number of armed persons who are shot by police.

Is this true? I don't believe it for one moment. The Police in this country very rarely shoot unarmed individuals and when they do it is rightly in all the papers. What are the statistics on this; how many people in total are actually shot, armed or unarmed, and what does this actually tell us about policing in the UK?

[Ajarn Philip]

Is this true? I don't believe it for one moment. The Police in this country very rarely shoot unarmed individuals and when they do it is rightly in all the papers. What are the statistics on this; how many people in total are actually shot, armed or unarmed, and what does this actually tell us about policing in the UK?

They very rarely shoot anyone at all, but my money's on the unarmed outnumbering the armed. Usually because of mistaken identity and/or poor (rather than low) intelligence.

[Hendrik]

Let's stick to the facts shall we:

Although the manufacture of replica weapons for children is viewed by many as obscene (and I agree), the possession of such an article by an eight-year-old is not unlawful. The plod ordering him to break his own property was unlawful.

Who is in the wrong? I know it's hard but remember that it is possible for both parties to be in the wrong - the plod and the child.

However, it will have been the parents who bought the thing (or allowed it to be bought), not the child. So the parents are in the wrong, not the child.

However, the parents will only have bought it because they were pressured into it by the child, who was manipulated into wanting the gun by a combination of factors. The largest of which will be arms manufacturers marketing guns as cool,and arms manufacturers having toys and replicas made to sell to children, usually to tie in with films or other media. The current James Bond gun is the Walther P99, no surprise to any of you when I tell you this has been the most sought after replica gun since it was introduced to the silver screen.

This leads us to one plausible conclusion, the parties at fault are arms manufacturers and advertising.

[sejintenej]

http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/ ... oy_gun.php

Toy guns tend to be made of metal or strong plastic; how did the co[ppper expect an eight year old to break it? An adult might have problems obeying this (illegal) order and thereby cause himself/herself to be arrested. I assume the kid was arrested for disobeying the order.

Clearly the copper is a ................... Insert the epithet of your choice

His sister Sophie was also banned from riding her battery-powered Barbie car on the pavement

By implication the sister is somewhere between 5 and 9; the policeman is therefore ordering her to drive her battery powered Barbie car on the public highway constituting a risk to car and lorry drivers. I can only surmise that he/she wanted the kid killed and drivers arrested for dangerous driving so that he could increase his arrest rate and gain promotion.

How can anyone respect morons like that?