Oh Sweet Freaking Jeebus!

(Still on hiatus, but my trip has been slightly delayed.)

L.A. police chief William Bratton gives some remarkable advice to UK police:

'Avoid Slippery Slope of Armed Police' - U.S. Chief

British police should not move down the “slippery slope” towards carrying guns, a top officer from the United States warned today.

Los Angeles police chief William Bratton – who achieved worldwide attention for his remarkable crime-busting results in New York – said unarmed police were part of Britain’s character.

“I don’t think you want to go in the direction of increasing the armament of your officers,” he said.

“It’s part of what England is, and also your gun control laws.

“I’ve recently in LA had four incidents where my officers were attacked – completely unprovoked – with machine guns.

Guess what, Chief? Machine guns aren't all that legal here, either. And the legally owned ones have never been a problem in the hands of the average citizen.

You're giving credit where none's due.

“If anything, don’t go down that slippery slope.”

No? They've gone down the slope to the point where the only people with firearms are the government and the criminals, and the result? Now the cops there need to be armed.

For that matter, so do the citizens subjects.

You're advising them to just give up?

Mr Bratton, who was police commissioner of New York from 1994 until last year, made the comments after delivering a speech hosted by think-tank Civitas and a new London civic movement Mind the Gap.

He added that it was “laudable” that surveys of British officers showed the majority were against routine arming of officers.

“They feel that would weaken the bond between police and the community,” he said.

“Both symbolically as well as practically it is not necessary.

“In your country anyone who uses a firearm against a police officer needs to go to jail for the rest of their life because a social obligation has been broken.

Don't you just love the way that police officers are now special? Apparently the Chief isn't aware that the first metropolitan police force was established by Sir Robert Peel in 1822. His nine principles of policing were as follows:

The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.

The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions.

Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.

The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.

Police seek and preserve public favour not by catering to public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.

Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient.

Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

Apparently every police force extant has forgotten this.

Police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary.

The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it.

I think, had the people retained these ideas, the police wouldn't be having near the problems that they are.

But you know what we're constantly advised: Let the police handle it. You're not qualified.

“The first time anyone uses a gun against a police officer that needs to be treated seriously, having violated that contract.”

Mr Bratton’s work in New York led to a 32% reduction in crime and murder rates halved.

He arrived in Los Angeles 18 months ago and in December expected to announce figures showing a 27% decrease in the city’s murder rate and a 5% fall in overall crime, he told an audience at the Athenaeum club in central London.

A poll of 11,635 Metropolitan police officers published last month showed 10% wanted to be armed on and off duty and 26% wanted to be armed on duty only.

I don't have time right now to pull up the stories, but police have been threatened - and shot - at the station in England. How effective are the police? Well, I've reported in this blog numerous accounts of the problems of violent crime in the UK. Just today Ravenwood reports that the police in London are advising women not to jog alone because some wacko is stabbing women joggers just for the fun of it.

But God forbid that women have some weapon with which to defend themselves.

Much less the police.