Sydney has joined many of the great cities in the world in having police on patrols armed with assault rifles.
The Colt M4 that will be issued to 100 officers from the NSW Public Order and Riot Squads is a combat weapon, with an effective range of 600m, firing up to 800 rounds per minute. Standard magazines hold 15 rounds.
At major sporting and cultural events, at railway stations, at places where people congregate en masse, the people of Sydney will soon become accustomed to the presence of heavily armed police.
The situation is similar to that throughout Europe, and Australian tourists have become accustomed to seeing armed troops and police on the streets.
There are arguments against, of course. The Metropolitan Police Service in London, once a group of baton twirling bobbies, armed with whistles who, when encountering a ne’er-do-well were obliged to say, “Stop or I’ll be forced to say stop again.” Now, of course, many are heavily armed with automatic long-arm weapons on patrols of London streets.
The detractors say this has not stopped terrorist events, but this is a failure to appreciate the extent of the terror threat facing the world and how to respond to it.
Full column here.
Vale Adam West, Mr Insider, dead at age 88yo and better known to us all as the fabulous “Batman”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhbdccfYIxQ
The greatest Batman and by all accounts a wonderful human being. Vale Adam West.
Didn’t realise he was that old no reason why he wouldn’t be. He had a wicked sense of humour.
Did you hear what Adam used to do on the set behind those curtains…he was a VERY naughty buoy!
I don’t know about Batman, Bassman but I was reading the other day how Alfred Hitchcock liked to hit on his leading ladies. Apparently he used to say, by way of introduction, ” Call me Hitch, hold the cock”!!
Everything you say about Hitch is true…but he received lots of knockbacks.
Amsterdam? No details yet, but another place of my youth in the news
I’ve only seen one mention of it Dwight and I think that was Yahoo news.
In part because the UK election is making my head spin with the sheer weirdness of it all, the US being run by some weird combination of an Oompa Loompa and Mike Teavee/Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and what’s passing for an alleged energy ‘policy’ in this country not being really my game, and all the other nonsense and death and destruction and stuff reminiscent of the early 20th Century, I think I might keep watching the cricket.
Despite all the rain, the Champions’ Trophy’s thrown up mostly upsets this week in between the rain intervals: Pakistan over South Africa, Sri Lanka over India, and Bangladesh overcoming a diabolical start against the Kiwis to win, and, in addition, Afghanistan have beaten the Windies handily thanks to the 4th-best bowling performance in ODIs by an 18-year old leggie, Rashid Khan, taking 7/18 to move up to 60 career wickets at an average of just over 15.
Against the background of the understandable media coverage of ongoing mayhem, emotion, tragedy and loss caused by terrorist activity, perhaps we may pause for just a brief moment to also acknowledge the dedicated folk at Coffs Harbour who valiantly kept watch over, and who attempted to save, (albeit unsuccessfully) the beached baby humpback.
Well said Carl was a valiant effort by all accounts on the news, bravo all.
Great effort by all Carl.
I’m told the weather was against them because it was too dangerous to get the tow boat in.
Best Regards, Bella
detractors say this has not stopped terrorist events
Detractors can handle the situation next time?
Pig Dog’s mob obviously twigged Monis’s antecedents and executed civil forfeiture when they nicked his second-hand Harley Softail Classic ?
Bodicea last blog “try new batteries”…….I will re-phrase that, the red button isn’t working but thank god the mute is/was!
Hang on Tracy, I’ve forgotten what device it was you were talking about.
New batteries and red button I get, but I had no idea they came with a mute. Is that to protect the neighbours?
Foxtel control Lou, Foxtel.
Warringah road is quiet today, blocked off at Wakehurst Parkway and diversions from Eastern Valley Way so they can take down the old pedestrian bridge
I replaced my Foxtel remote from godingo for $20 Tracy
I see that Donald Trump has been allowed to have his twitter account back. It’s just more ammunition to bury the man.
I’d rather not see the escalation in automatic weapons on the streets, as it will surely result in unintended consequences, i.e. the cure may be worse than the original problem.
We have read and seen on TV just recently, Mr Insider, that Facial Recognition Cameras are going to be a lot more widely used and lets hope they do pick up someone of “interest” in a crowd for the Police and Security people to watch closely before they do any terrorist act.
http://tinyurl.com/y8gevved