Armed police called to St Peter Port flat
Monday 23rd January 2012, 9:22AM GMT.
The window of the basement flat has been boarded up. (1217558)
ARMED police were called in to deal with a man who was reportedly brandishing two knives at the window of his St Peter Port flat in the early hours of Saturday.
Officers were alerted at about 1am following reports of a disturbance at the property.
Police said they decided to deploy armed officers as more information about the incident became available.
They sealed off the immediate area and the road was closed during the incident.
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Wait for it…. Wait for it….
Go! Who thinks the armed response Police are a waste of tax payers money this time? Bore Off.
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It’s not the waste of tax payers money that concerns me. It’s the need for the armed police to be deployed at all. It’s ridiculous! Being from the UK and having friends in the police force, this would most likely be dealt with by by a few police officers in stab vests. The scariest thing they would have would be CS gas!
The more they go out with huge shows of force the more likely we will have a snowball effect. Guns breed guns!
Why do we need armed police at all!? Its mental! This is Guernsey! Absolutely mental! Who makes these decisions!?
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Tommy, knives aren’t any less sharp in Guernsey… stab vests only work on the torso and back, CS spray is a close proximity response. Guns bread guns when in the wrong hands.
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Bart, yes knives are sharp. But you miss one big thing in that you assume that this man waving the knives in his kitchen would actually attack them!? Theres a big difference between waving a knife and using it on police officers! The police wouldn’t just rush in spraying cs all over the place would they!? Surely they would attempt to talk the man round..?
I am merely implying that turing up with guns only heightens the situation!
Also guns breed guns when only in the wrong hands? That doesnt really make sense. It’s human nature! If you were going out to commit a crime and knew the police had guns, wouldn’t you want one too..?
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I think he said Bread guns. When used in the wrong hands they miss the suspect and ruin his sandwich instead!
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Been playing too much Modern Warfare 3
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Guernsey is really going overboard with these things now, don’t you think?
I think it’s about time we invested in a armed police unit with experience off the island. It could be one of our children next!
I just hope that when one of these villains of society waves that blade on inch further out of the window and the trigger has to be pulled (and it will, I assure you it will), that our officers are trained enough to deal with the situation…it could be Your child…or My child. A child will inevitably be harmed (or even killed) if we don’t invest in more armed officers in Guernsey.
We live in a time of fear, sham…and drudgery. Terrorism Is a threat here in Guernsey. We are terrorized by Mothers threatening to harm themselves, men with kitchen knives in the early hours at weekends and I even heard (unofficially) that a group of locals constantly keep boiling hot water on the stove…waiting to strike.
I say we need More armed officers over here! And we don’t need armoured patrol cars…we need tanks!
Air Marshall Walker , Bailiff Rowland, Chief of Police…Hear our cries for security and protection…Hear. Our. Cries!
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Fair enough.
Those knives could have been loaded.
One question. Why the broken window. Could they not get in through the door?
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Sorry it is the door. I think.
Ps. What do they mean by “Deal with”?.
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I know this is Guernsey and some of you old folk are stuck in ur old ways about how Guernsey used to be but unfortunately times have changed and the Police do need to protect themselves. I’m sorry but there is no way I would be going into someone’s flat unarmed if there brandishing a couple of knives and I don’t think you would be either tommy. The real world isn’t like Hollywood where you can just disarm someone going mad with a knife. Get REAL!
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No, Hollywood would be able to disarm them using their ‘Spidey Sense’.
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It is one thing protecting yourself, but another to go completely over the top about it.
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Well Helen. If the Police were going over the top how would you suggest going about this. Imagine you are a Police Officer. What would you want if you were ordered to go into a room where some guy is waving two big knives around. Why do people keep dissing the Police. They are doing their job to keep people safe. They arnt just doing it for fun
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Perhaps some of our politicians could look into the deployment of armed officers. These recent cases are beginning to smell of an alternative agenda.
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More visible policing please. I am happy for my taxes to be diverted for the recruitment drive away from one of Britain,s largest families who reside in the Island.
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Guernsey and the uk also jersey are one of a few countries that do not arm their police officers. In this day and gae where you can find either criminals or terrorists in any country I think its time that every police office is armed. The danger is NOT in the police carrying arms its in the case where they meet opposition where arms are needed that the delay would cost lives. As an ex Royal Marine I can tell you that in todays world you will find even in the channel Islands that there are alot of people carrying arms of one sort or another. We can not expect our police to face this danger without the proper equipment. Not to be too dramitic. One day it may be the difference between your child or family member being killed by a criminal or not. Make your choise
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Not sure what being in the Royal Marines has to do with your evidence of a lot of people carrying arms comes from?. but your point about a lot of people carrying weapons may be valid.
Tommy
The people who make these “mental” decisions are the ones who have to deal with an unknown potential lethal situation. I think i would rather know the facts before i would call it a “mental decision”.
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maybe if we look at the mental helth that is avaibel or rather lack of maybe that would help instead of just pretending theys people are holigans it is abvious this kind of behavior is not that of a sain person. I personaly have seen a friend crying out for help from the states with no avail eventualy he took his own life wot more can i say.
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OK – here goes:
A sane persons does not do these sort of things; the Mental Health Act should be examined in full and the States do nothing to help. Sadly Anon had a friend who needed assistance but had none given.
I agree with you totally Anon – there is not enough help for people with certain mental problems. People with these problems seem to be invisible and embarrassing to the rest of society so we all turn a blind eye – until the problem escalates, Police are called, when presumably the person in question had just about had enough.
I hope he/she gets the help they obviously need.
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sarnia expat
Quite often the simplest cure is to leave the cork in the bottle
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Why should the Police put theirselves in danger. If someone is brandishing any weapon they should expect an armed response. Police officers have families to support too. Why should they get hurt doing their job.
The problem here is there is not enough of a deterrent. Anybody brandishing or carrying a weapon should have a mandatory mental health check or jail sentence.
I had a relative diagnosed with a mental health problem last year and I have to say that the treatment has been excellent.
The only problem with mental health services in this island is the building they have to work from.
The Castel hospital is not good, it needs some serious renovation and this should be done ASAP.
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Finally Frankie. Someone who actually talks some sense. I think I am going mad sometimes with all these heroes commenting that they would rather see a headline with a police officer getting stabbed than an armed response. I would like to see any one of them turn up to an incident of someone brandishing a knife. Then who would they call????
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A police officer turns up to these events armed and ready for anything – that is obvious – but I think a lot of posters agree that sometimes it is overkill. Where was the person brandishing his/her knives? In his/her own home. Is this not allowed then? How do we know he was not a martial arts person practicing for the Eisteddfod?
I know that is a bit tongue in cheek – but where are the mediators in all this – the trained staff who do not carry weapons? or don’t we have any of them?
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Thats because a lot of us posters dont have a clue what we are talking about or do we know better? i`m not sure about you but i know i dont.
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A man brandishing knives in the early hours of Saturday morning, now what does that tell you. The Police acted correctly.
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Lots of rants and pointless posts yet again. It’s all down to health and safety people. Yes even the Police have to adhere to guidelines.
If you go to work on a building site you have to have hard hand and safety boots etc. If you go to work in a room with a violent man brandishing a knife you go suitably equipped to deal with him. Just a protective stab vest is not enough and I would suggest that sending police in with similar ‘weapons’ for a knife fight is not reasonable. What would you suggest!?
Just because Firearms are deployed it doesn’t mean that they are drawn or pointed it just means that they are there, to hand if required. Less lethal options like Tazer and Baton rounds would be used before any thoughts of shooting someone would even be considered.
People should stop making assumptions that firearms officers are only sent out to kill people, it’s ludicrous!!!
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Good sensible posts from Pete & Donkey Doo
The Police do not have the advantage of the hindsight displayed by several posters and have to act upon the call received from the public
At least they seem to have learned from the justifiable ridicule heaped upon them when they imposed a half mile no-one in and no-out cordon for several hours at Les Genats a few months ago
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Certain level of risk = proportionate response. If he was brandishing two roses and a box of chocolates then a pair of handcuffs would have sufficed.
If he has two knives then I think firearms are a reasonable response.
Trying to control someone with a knife is bloomin dangerous, irrespective of if you are wearing chainmail or a stab vet.
Quick thinking and firm action was needed so well done the boys in blue.
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Don’t you believe it pal, I’m not taking on anyone who’s got a thorny rose in their hand with anything less than a semi-automatic.
I got stabbed in the backside with one of those once, I COULD HAVE KILLED THE PERSON WHO DID IT
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I don’t know whether armed response was right or wrong. But I do know some of these people involved in these incidents should not be treated like criminals. They need help and compassion but aren’t getting it. Seems like people want them banged up and forgotten about. Its about time this poisonous little island woke up instead of languishing in the dark ages. The days of locking people away from the public due to mental illness ended in the 60s.
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It does make me laugh when you read that we do not need armed police here and it’s a waist of tax payers money. I think it’s a good thing we have them here if someone was armed and I was in the police force I would like to know if this went wrong I have the equipment to handle it. Leave the police alone I would not like to do there job and Guernsey is not that safe place anymore I know it’s not like England but it will come.
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sarnia expat
Ever heard of containment? What would happen if he left the house with the knives?
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Here’s to the next time. Probably next week – woman with PMT decides to shake a vegetable peeler at a passerby.
Let’s hope the police don’t venture out without their special vest and pants sets on.
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SS
As stated in post 11 I had a relative diagnosed last year with a serious mental health issue.
The treatment was excellent, at no stage was there any mention of locking away. The doctors saw the support given by the immediate family and allowed home treatment. With regular monitoring by doctors.
Now firmly on the road to recovery. Will be on medication for a while but 100% improvement.
The only thing ‘ languishing in the dark ages ‘ is the buildings they operate from
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I am pleased your relative got the help they need and is on the road to recovery But after loosing a friend last year that had been desprat for help for months and was ignored by all and i am awear of other simaler situations i dont agree it seams your realitive is one of the verey few lucky wons.
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Anon.
Sorry to hear about your mate, I have seen mental health problems first hand and it’s a very traumatic experience. I would not wish that on anyone.
I don’t know the details of your friend but surely his / her doctor would know them well enough to make a judgement.
It was the doctor who started the ball rolling in my relatives case.
The trouble is the stigma attached to this kind of illness, I would implore anyone who a suspicion that someone is not well to accompany them to their doctor and state the case with them.
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The real test comes when an innocent citizen is killed in error. Also when someone with mental health problems chooses suicide by Police shooting. Overreaction is the first warning sign that these events are on the horizon
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The police have to act in a way that is proportionate, necessary and justifiable. Bear in mind that there is no point going to a knife fight armed with a knife if you want to win. In order to win and over power, the police need to be able to defend themselves and the public. Baton gun and taser are the less lethal options used, they are the first used. Bullets are a last resort.
It was definitely necessary for an armed response here, as officers armed with a baton, CS and a stab vest would be woefully disadvantaged. The neck and thighs both hold important arteries. Stab vests do NOT protect these areas! CS and batons all require a close porximity. Baton gun and taser do not.
So, in order to protect the public, themselves, and the assailant, I DO believe the police acted in a way that was proportionate, necessary and justifiable.
Surely rather than crisitse the police, you should criticise the idiots who wave knives around putting the public at risk because they are too stupid to have common sense.
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Send for the men in the white coats instead
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Send for the men in white coats instead
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@informer
Well said!!
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