Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4 uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police minibuses full of uniformed police.
Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's money?
Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4 uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police minibuses full of uniformed police.
Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's money?
Just checking to see they didn't go through any red lights.
-- Mike Van Tuyl titanium Dura ace 10 Fausto Coppi aluminium Ultegra 10 Raleigh Record sprint mongrel Huissoon project bike (in bits, natch)
Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4 uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police minibuses full of uniformed police.
Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's money?
Typical of the over policing we are all subjected to. Of course, those who stay meekly in their homes or just travel during rush hours never see this sort of thing and imagine we live in a crime plagued country full of terrorists which requires the protection of vast numbers of police. This situation has not been helped by the mass of criminalising legislation instigated by Blair's government, which far exceeds anything that has ever gone before. Is it any wonder that our prisons are full to overlowing?
-- UK Radical Campaigns www.zing.icom43.net One man's democracy is another man's regime.
Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4 uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police minibuses full of uniformed police.
Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's money?
Typical of the over policing we are all subjected to. Of course, those who stay meekly in their homes or just travel during rush hours never see this sort of thing and imagine we live in a crime plagued country full of terrorists which requires the protection of vast numbers of police. This situation has not been helped by the mass of criminalising legislation instigated by Blair's government, which far exceeds anything that has ever gone before. Is it any wonder that our prisons are full to overlowing?
Bring back the death penalty then, that'd free up a few spaces...
"CJB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
To demonstrate their commitment to renewable energy etc. many hundreds of supporters are cycling from all over the UK to the Climate Camp at Heathrow.
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Quoted message said:
Just now I have witnessed a group of 20 such cyclists arriving in Harlington the nearest village. They looked like a bunch of normal cycle tourists - average age low 20s. They were escorted by 4 uniformed police on mountain bikes - AND no less than SEVEN police minibuses full of uniformed police.
Now THAT's what I call an escort - but a tad waste of tax payer's money?
Absolutely. There should be a way to charge the people at the camp for the extra money they have caused to be spent on policing. Of course, there was a time when a copper could just keep whacking demonstrators until they were quiet enough to drag away, but these days, they have to make sure there are enough around to subdue them without too much injury, which needs several coppers for every demonstrator taken away.
nightjar' nightjar@insert my surname here.uk.com said:
Absolutely. There should be a way to charge the people at the camp for the extra money they have caused to be spent on policing. [...]
It's not the campers who have caused the money to be spent on policing. I've been told that the staffing levels are the decision of the police. So, we should charge the police for the costs of overpolicing these camps!
Now, can we get some police to crack down on the bad driving around here?
It was hilarious to hear BAA warning that some of those tourists may 'disguise' themselves as tourists and enter the airport to leaflet other tourists.
It's a delicate balance I think. On one hand I think there should be more policing as long as there is a need for it. But the judgment on what needs to be policed is seriously off balance. I mean families on a field making a peaceful point about where they think BAA are going wrong is probably not a priority threat. Knee-jerk and reactionary policing is not the way forward, but sadly it seems that nowadays opinions are increasingly replacing fact. Not helped by the media or the governments that (mis) use them.
On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:39:33 -0000 someone who may be Pete <[email hidden]> wrote this:-
Quoted message said:
But the judgment on what needs to be policed is seriously off balance. I mean families on a field making a peaceful point about where they think BAA are going wrong is probably not a priority threat.
Not content with attempting to intimidate people as they arrive, they are now trying to cause trouble on the site. I wonder what they will try next, perhaps sending one of their death squads to shoot someone seven times in the head on a whim.
Is that a wind turbine the protestors have about 4/5 of the way into the video clip?
Love the bit about forcing the police to *tune* back and the protester who super *clued* herself to a gate. So was this item written by the Duhgster or the policeman from TV's Hello, Hello?
Hypocrite - a person driving a vehicle to a climate camp.....
Hahaha, thanks for pointing that out. Oh the irony. My point again: Opinion replacing Fact. "I think I have protest for the sake of protesting, therefore I take my car there ignoring the fact it's part of what I am protesting about."
I wonder just how many cars/vans were driven to the climate camp to set all the stuff up. Demonstrations are pointless in modern society. The public are aware of the problems, the politicians and companies are too. They wont change becuase of a demonstration, they change because of public pressure, since the public are already aware of the problems all you are going to do is cheese the public off because you have inconvenienced them. I'm all for green-ness, but people disrupting everyday working citizens make me hang my head and want to go the other way. What an embarrassment to the cause these people are.
