My arrest story

[Blue]

I'd rather risk being blown up, than have my personal freedoms squashed and walked all over constantly. Because after a bomb life goes on, people recover and things eventually go back to normal.
Under a police state life is never normal.

The problem is that terrorist activity is indiscriminate. You may be happy to run the risk, however, when a bomb explodes it is often dozens of people who end up dead or maimed - the victims even spread beyond that again to the families etc.

Things go back to normal do they? There is F all normal about many aspects of thousands of peoples lives in NI, sometimes decades after terrorist bombing events.

Get real.

 

[Blue]

That's exactly the impression I got from the account. Nasty little casual racists given a gun and an excuse for being vicious thugs.

I don't agree.

 

[classic33]

I think some of you people need to get real.

I lived in NI throughout the troubles and I can assure you that I would not have dreamed of striking up the kind of conversation that the OP did. FFS, asking an armed security guard in that location about his movements. The OP has the cheek to call the police officer 'shoot for brains'. Talk about people in glass houses!

As a citizen of the UK, I'm glad that people are checked in the street.

In NI we were ALL searched every time we entered some areas - when a terrorist threat is real, as it is, such things become necessary. I think the people who complain just like to hear themselves talk as their mouthings contribute nothing to the safety of their fellow citizens. You people in England haven't a clue about what a real security clampdown is like. You should think yourselves lucky instead of bleating on about what would have been minimal in NI for over 30 years.

That can be viewed either way in The Six Counties/Northern Ireland. The RUC were the only police force in the UK t o be routinely armed. They got attacked from both sides.

Mainland police were never routinely armed. Even a ARU has to seek permission to arm.

As for "getting real" how does having an Irish surname & Irish parents qualify me for getting stopped & then having to to answer a list of questions. Weapons were loaded & cocked when I refused to make a false statement, using the wording the officer was giving me to use.
My "offence" at the time was simply returning home, from Ireland. Time, 0200-0300, 13 hours in to the trip with another five to go.

This in a small building with around another 40 people, including small kids, around.

 

[jasper]

As I said in my post. Similar happened to me although I wasn't arrested, but stopped and searched on the street and delayed for a couple of hours. I'm white, English as were the police that stopped; so no racial motives. My only "crime" was I was driving a Transit van.

Sometimes it's a necessary evil.

 

[col]

That's exactly the impression I got from the account. Nasty little casual racists given a gun and an excuse for being vicious thugs.

I dont see this at all,i didnt get the impression it was racist,just ignorant arrogant and clever attitude,which shouldnt be there.I always thought the weopons unit had to be screened psycologically,and trained very well in the handling and reactions of using firearms,this main guy sounded a right twonk who shouldnt even have been on the beat?
And i would rather be searched and or detained for an hour or two,if it helped make the streets safer.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

I dont see this at all,i didnt get the impression it was racist,.

It's sometimes subjective, but I didn't get the impression that the policeman was just doing his job.

"Just before being let out of the police station, shoot-For-Brains told me “Had you not been soo compliant, things would have been different”. I asked him how so, he said “Had you not have been soo compliant, I would have shot you, and you would have died”. I asked him what did I do wrong, he said “Look, lets face it, suicide bombers are Asian. If I had a choice between you and him (pointing to a white colleage), id shoot you every time”."

My take on it was that it was a nasty bit of racist intimidation.

 

[wafflycat]

My take on it was that it was a nasty bit of racist intimidation.

It was mine too.

 

[Blue]

As for "getting real" how does having an Irish surname & Irish parents qualify me for .

But don't you see that that is my point - that is the reality of modern counter-terrorism and yet so many are bleating on about the OP who was foolish enough to actually start asking questions that prompted a response - when he had suspect photos on his mobile.

 

[Blue]

It's sometimes subjective, but I didn't get the impression that the policeman was just doing his job.

"Just before being let out of the police station, shoot-For-Brains told me “Had you not been soo compliant, things would have been different”. I asked him how so, he said “Had you not have been soo compliant, I would have shot you, and you would have died”. I asked him what did I do wrong, he said “Look, lets face it, suicide bombers are Asian. If I had a choice between you and him (pointing to a white colleage), id shoot you every time”."

My take on it was that it was a nasty bit of racist intimidation.

I don't agree

 

[Baggy]

But don't you see that that is my point - that is the reality of modern counter-terrorism and yet so many are bleating on about the OP who was foolish enough to actually start asking questions that prompted a response - when he had suspect photos on his mobile.

If you've got nothing to hide and no idea why you've been approached, why not ask questions - asking if someone is too hot is hardly asking them about their movements, it's a normal response.

And how many thousand people are there out there with pics on their phones of them posing in paintballing kit?

 

[Blue]

If you've got nothing to hide and no idea why you've been approached, why not ask questions - asking if someone is too hot is hardly asking them about their movements, it's a normal response.

And how many thousand people are there out there with pics on their phones of them posing in paintballing kit?

He asked about a bit more that the heat - don't be so selective.

"I ask him how long does he have to stand around in this heat(*), he says a few hours yet, I ask him cant you hide in the shade(*)".

I would have stopped and searched no matter what the colour of his skin. Having seen the photos on the mobile I would then have been very, very thorough indeed, as the police were. I think the OPs troubles were invited, not a racist attack.

 

[wafflycat]

He asked about a bit more that the heat - don't be so selective.

"I ask him how long does he have to stand around in this heat(*), he says a few hours yet, I ask him cant you hide in the shade(*)".

I would have stopped and searched no matter what the colour of his skin. Having seen the photos on the mobile I would then have been very, very thorough indeed, as the police were. I think the OPs troubles were invited, not a racist attack.

You see, to me, the quote

"I ask him how long does he have to stand around in this heat(*), he says a few hours yet, I ask him cant you hide in the shade(*)".

Shows nothing more than a bit of general concern for the wellbeing someone out in the heat... I might have phrased it as "It's a pity you can't have a bit of shade in this heat" but it's essentially the same basic concern for a fellow being rather than a terrorist threat. If that's taken as a terrorist threat, then the heat really has got to the brain to cause paranoia!

 

[Baggy]

I'm not being selective, it's my precis on the conversation. The policeman approached him - it's quite difficult to ignore any policeman who is making a bee line for you (I've worked with the Met Police as a civilian).

It wasn't exactly asking him what his movements were...it was a response to the policeman saying he was hot and wished he was at home.

The officer presumably approached him with the intention of performing a stop and search, I very much doubt that the conversation caused any change in intention.

Edited to add Wafflycat got there before me.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

I think there are two issues here which mustn't be confused:
1. Were there reasonable grounds for a stop and search and then the follow up inquiries?
2. Was this done in a way we should expect from our Police?

The answer to the first will come down to judgement and I would let it stand at that. There's also no point debating the principle of the procedure either as that should be done with politicians. The Police are operating within the remit of the law as it stands at the moment, not how you think it should be.

But I certainly think there are grounds to complain about the manner in which individual police officers behaved. Clearly some of the treatment you received was unnecessarily heavy handed and driven by very suspect motives. Restrict your complaints to these issues and you might make some progress.

The Police in turn will continue to try and make any rebuttal about security, or not being able to take anything on trust, or how all terrorists look normal,etc, but just keep saying that you accept that and then return the debate to the issues that were clearly not right. These were the things that were not only unnecessary, but were also counter productive from the Police point of view and in the case of brutality (such as the over tight handcuffs) were actually against the law or operating procedures.

 

[col]

It's sometimes subjective, but I didn't get the impression that the policeman was just doing his job.

"Just before being let out of the police station, shoot-For-Brains told me “Had you not been soo compliant, things would have been different”. I asked him how so, he said “Had you not have been soo compliant, I would have shot you, and you would have died”. I asked him what did I do wrong, he said “Look, lets face it, suicide bombers are Asian. If I had a choice between you and him (pointing to a white colleage), id shoot you every time”."

My take on it was that it was a nasty bit of racist intimidation.

I see your point,but it could also just be stating facts.When i was driving buses we were told to be wary of packages (bombs)and suspicious activity,i always got a worried feeling when an asian got on with a backpack,and im not racist,but that was the general description to possibly watch out for.Now would you say im a nasty racist because of it?