Manchester Airport Incident

[Hateam]

After seeing the new footage, I believe the officers actions were understandable.

I spent years as a criminal barrister and tend to be somewhat suspicious of the police but seriously?!

this was a sustained and violent attack on armed officers, who were at real risk of being overpowered.

the “kicker” had been brutally assaulted, sustaining multiple punches to the head as well as being choked. He likely had no idea that the thug in the blue shirt had been successfully tasered and his priority would be to ensure that the individual was incapacitated.

personally if I’m in a public place today and armed officers are being smashed in the face by violent thugs I’m happy for them to use whatever means necessary to ensure the threat is contained and the public are safe.

@Hateam

Understandable?
Nope. The new video makes it worse. Or rather changes nothing. We already knew there was previous footage. But it still doesn't justify policeman's final actions, a kick down and a 2nd kick. He did one action, then a 2nd. Nothing excuses that. Nothing.

We've now seen the extra video. But it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I knew it was bad. But that's not the point.
Many punches.
But he's now been tasered. He's lying down, face down on the floor. The policeman then decides to kick him again. In the head. Not once, but twice.

And we've got @DancingNotDrowning -a barrister , saying "use whatever means necessary ".

Nope. I disagree. Nothing excuses the policeman's final conduct. Nothing.

Have you actually watched the footage so far ? Police did not 'start ' the matter

Exactly this as a member of the policing we seem to has lose a country what we want police to do. Because policing in the majority of other countries is very different especially where armed officers are concerned.

We are now as a society policing the police and have zero respect. We live in a lawless society. Young people do what they like when they like with no fear of the police.

Yes unnecessary incidents happen these are human beings but actually this is exactly what I would expect trained firearms officers to do in this situation, sadly the officer will come off far worse for doing his job than the thugs that felt necessary to start the violence - in front of their own families

Interesting the family have now switched the narrative and solicitor. I expect they weren't expecting this extra video to come this early. Makes their whinging compo story sad really

I think you need to rewatch carefully , all sorts of connotations can be taken from that video and are

Disrespectful family of thugs, appalling that people like that have such little respect thry will happily treat Police in that way and inside an airport! Can't believe we have got to this stage in the UK where people are comfortable behaving like this. Surely its prison for those thugs.

The Policeman, he needs to be investigated properly, I feel for him who wouldn't react to being repeatedly set on as he and his colleagues were but if his reaction isn't in line with his role. I'm not sure what they are permitted to do in a situation where a criminal can not be controlled, by that stage his fellow officers were unable to assist in controlling this mob.

I feel sad for him hit and potentially loose his job all because of thugs.

Sorry, what am I missing. I've watched all the videos available, both initial ones and subsequent. A number of times. What is it I'm not seeing? @FishersGate

Even after seeing it, and watching again, I still haven't seen anything that's changed my mind. What should I be noticing?

No one is suggesting that these 2 men aren't thugs. And need the law to deal with them. There no doubt of that.

But that's a completely separate issue. To the conduct of the policeman. And his 2 final kicks.

The police officer stamped on the guy's head because a) he thought he had taken or tried to take his gun and b) the officer had just taken a blow to the head from the same man and was panicked.

I think any criticism from anyone who has not been in a situation of life or death split second decision making, they should pipe down and thank their lucky stars they don't have to do such a scary and dangerous job.

More broadly I think Brits have a real problem with policing. On the one hand they expect police officers to run towards danger and act fast where a terrorist incident is suspected - look at how much criticism the anti-terror police came in for not acting on suspicions at Manchester Arena bombing.

On the other hand they expect the same police, in those terrifying moments when for all they know a bomb might be about to go off in the airport, (and they are specifically trained to expect the worst case scenario in action, for OUR safety) to take the time to calm down and think of every outcome or how their action might look to idiots on twitter.

In my country of origin, a family who attacked police in an airport would be full of more holes than swiss cheese about 1.2 seconds later. They wouldn't be hiring lawyers and giving interviews on telly.

The British attitude is unsustanible and no wonder police are quitting their jobs at historically high levels. The Brits will soon see what life is like when there aren't enough police to keep any control.

People have dissected the video at 0.5 speed. It shows the policeman receiving multiple blows to the head and that the thug raised his head before the kick. The policeman didn't know he had been tasered. He might have been about to jump up and continue attacking. He did exactly what he was trained to do- incapacitate a threat without killing him even when he had been choked and stunned.

He should get a bloody medal!

Your not seeing the police officer in a choke hold or receiving multiple blows to the head?

Maybe you need glasses …

Yes I made this point earlier about how difficult it is becoming to recruit people into frontline roles in certain professions because they face violence AND endless criticism from keyboard warriors/ the media. We will miss them when a critical mass of people say I'm not doing this job anymore.

No it’s absolutely not right. That said, I would probably have felt and possibly done the same if I’d experienced what he had just experienced (why I shouldnt be a police officer) I also don’t really have an issue with him keeping his job….

Are people serious expecting a policeman think carefully and logically before acting if they had received multiple blows to the head? The "victim " is lucky he didn't get shot and killed.

The police officer then moves away, onto the other suspect and kicks him. So he's kicked 3 times.

Yes, I've seen that @Dancingmonkeyfeet.

He has been punched multiple times in the head!! Do you not think that would have an impact on his decision making?

In a way, I could understand if the policeman had lost it, and given the guy a kick in the ribs or a slap, but a kick and stamp on the head is life threatening and unforgivable.

No action is unforgivable if you have been punched repeatedly in the head. It will have had a huge impact on his brain function and decision making at that moment in time and he may not even have been able to see properly
The person responsible for the action is the one who punched him.

Agree all these pp expecting so much more than other police forces get to use to keep themselves safe you’ll end up with no one protecting you

Imagine the reality of that violence and what other countries do, it’s easy to post on mn this stuff but it doesn’t help

They had taser guns, the bolts were still implanted. All they needed to do if he needed further subduing was fire another shot of electricity. Why would they need to use any more than that?

@Oblomov24 if you’re going to quote me perhaps include the whole sentence, otherwise you look manipulative.

but yes I am totally ok with the police doing whatever is necessary to keep the public safe. In that instant the police officer had no idea whether the man on the ground had in fact been incapacitated. I’ve seen enough examples of tasered thugs acting like wild animals to understand even if the officer knew the man had been tasered (and that’s unknown) he had no guarantee that the man was going to stay down.

what on earth do you think would have happened if the man (who had already knocked two officers unconscious, and smashed one in the face) had been able to get up and overpower them? Then what?

they were literally fighting for their lives.

Because not everyone responds to being tased. Raoul Moat for example was tased multiple times. There've been numerous examples in america where people get tased and still keep coming (whereupon they get shot, not granted fawning interviews on telly).

Tasing makes you lose control of your limbs and collapse but not necessarily lose consciousness, it's not a magic gun.

what on earth do you think would have happened if the man (who had already knocked two officers unconscious, and smashed one in the face) had been able to get up and overpower them? Then what?

What would happen if he had an explosive vest. That's what the officer was probably thinking. Manchester Arena would be fresh in his mind.