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Awful accident in Ireland

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I’m sure we’ll discover that several, if not all, the occupants of the car will have been arrested multiple times and let off with barely a slap on the wrists by the courts…


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 1:41 pm
 mert
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Posted by: boblo
We may be 20k short of Coppers (if that stat is in fact true) but the ones we do have seem to find the time to hassle old people with bits of cardboard and the likes. There's plenty of time to follow up hurty words on Facebook but not to confront those that'll fight back and give em a good hiding in return... 
Around 25000 resignations since 2021. That excludes retirees and sackings, but apparently not those that resign to avoid getting in trouble.

And if you have a police force who chase badly thought out KPIs (something like number of arrests) it's very easy to massage the figures by arresting loads of compliant eco warriors, cos you can then go and arrest them again in a week or so, they'll all get bail, and all have solicitors.

Arresting violent, possibly armed thugs gives you three problems 1) they'll probably be in custody for a while (hopefully) and 2) you might get a kicking, or suspended, or desk duty, so you won't be arresting them/anyone for a while 3) dealing with little shits like that can go seriously sideways very quickly. Just look at the whole Mark Duggan thing. Or Raoul Moat. Nutters and their gangs/mobs do not act rationally.

 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 1:49 pm
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Why did it take the deaths of 7 people to arrest those people?

Maybe they're massively overstretched, there's lots of intelligence around lots of people and not enough manpower to work through it all.  Killing two people probably get's your associates names closer to the top of a list though.

Equally maybe they do raid several houses every day / week finding drugs and guns, it's just not nationally newsworthy. 

It's not the Minority Report, they can't foresee which of the thousands of people in their area with a criminal record is about to go out and commit another crime. And (until the crash) it was seemingly relatively low-level crime, knowing that 5 lads were going to go out and drive a Passat dangerously probably isn't something you'd devote whole lot of your limited resources to preventing.  It's North Yorkshire, there'll be hundreds of MAMILeather riding their Fireblades in a knobbish way on the Moors above the A66 at the weekend if it doesn't rain.

 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 2:31 pm
 DrJ
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Posted by: thisisnotaspoon

There's also the reality that the protesters were as you infer, compliant and easy to arrest.  So it makes sense to arrest them.

Well it makes sense if what you want is just an easy life. Instead of, you know, protecting the public and all that woke stuff.


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 2:33 pm
 poly
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Posted by: kevog

I’m sure we’ll discover that several, if not all, the occupants of the car will have been arrested multiple times and let off with barely a slap on the wrists by the courts…

I thought we already knew that 4/5 had previous convictions? Most of the convictions were not imprisonable, although some were, but in a society where prisons are bursting at the seams and people are spending <1/3rd of the sentence behind bars I'm not sure thats the solution. The question you need to answer is what sanction should people face for things like shoplifting, driving without insurance, and possession of cannabis? There are some more serious offences on some of their records, e.g. assaulting a police officer which can be very broad - taking a swing at, but failing to make contact would tick the box.  I don't think the problem is really the courts - they can only impose the sentences available to them.  I don't have any magic wand either but this is the inevitable situation where government after government asks itself how it can save money rather than make the situation better.

Interestingly we are now up to 17 people arrested in connection with enquiries following the deaths.  That seems like an unusually large number, surprisingly quickly.  Could of course be they were about to arrest them all anyway and thats why the first five "ran" but a cynical person might think that when a cop dies in the line of duty the policing response is stronger than when its a member of the public.  That's not a criticism of the response here, its a comment on the normal pace and reach of enquiries for other "ordinary" offences.

 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 2:39 pm
pondo reacted
 kilo
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but a cynical person might think that when a cop dies in the line of duty the policing response is stronger than when its a member of the public

Or they might think that senior management decided to shift scarce resources to clean up something that hadn't been a high priority until now, seven dead bodies has a way of generating headlines strangely 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 4:01 pm
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Well it makes sense if what you want is just an easy life. Instead of, you know, protecting the public and all that woke stuff.

But justice is supposed to be blind, without fear or favor etc.

They have to arrest Palestine Action protestors, because that's what the law says.  And it's evidently safest and easiest to do that on the day.

They have to arrest people with guns and drugs, because that's what the law says.  And it's evidently safest and easiest to do that when they're in their skivvies tucked up in bed at 5am not surrounded by a hundred of their mates.

As some crusty old punk with an ACAB patch will tell you, it's because they sign up to enforce unjust laws as well as the just ones.  They don't get to be nice about it and only enforce the 'good' laws.


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 4:45 pm
 poly
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Posted by: thisisnotaspoon

Well it makes sense if what you want is just an easy life. Instead of, you know, protecting the public and all that woke stuff.

But justice is supposed to be blind, without fear or favor etc.

but they do have enormous amounts of discretion, both at force and individual officer level.  They certainly shouldn't be acting differently on unjustified basis, but that is not quite the same as saying the have to arrest everyone for every crime either.

 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 5:28 pm
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So the house of the father of one of the 17yr old got rammed prior to the collision by another car. An inter gang 'war' thing then that had started to get out of hand? Which would then make sense why you'd be rounding up the local nobbers in big numbers now. 

Two 17 year olds and no one has managed to drag a 'when at school they were cheeky little imps' cliche drenched quote from the poor sods who were once their headteachers. And if you are not even worthy of a cut and paste cliche spaff, you're not going to be missed a ton.....or amount to much. 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 5:47 pm
StuE reacted
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but a cynical person might think that when a cop dies in the line of duty the policing response is stronger than when its a member of the public.

Mr Hammer, please meet Mr Nail and Mr Head...

OAP's are easy and low risk anytime. Waiting for the 5am low circadian rhythm option may have lead to this. I can't believe they've gathered all the evidence in the past 24hrs, they just chose to act on it rapidly once the excrement hit the fan. Maybe to be seen to be reacting, maybe out of solidarity with their 'fallen hero' colleagues or maybe they were set to go anyway though seems unlikely...


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 5:57 pm
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly7ne4xegmo

Another incident today, although this looks more like a Fail To Stop rather than deliberately going out goading the police into a chase. 

But once again, significant consequences for other innocent road users. 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 6:18 pm
 PJay
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I see that members of the family of one of the young men killed are stating that the pursuit should have been called of sooner. 

Also 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1wx7yrjnyno


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 7:33 pm
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Posted by: PJay

I see that members of the family of one of the young men killed are stating that the pursuit should have been called of sooner. 

It does sort of explain why they ended up being feral shits. The pursuit should have been called off when the cops said "yes they are indicating and slowing down".

It is quite bizarre that the memorial flyers have failed to find a photo where they werent trying to be gangsters.


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 7:49 pm
BoardinBob reacted
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Posted by: boblo

...or maybe they were set to go anyway though seems unlikely...

Maybe this has prematurely set a months long surveillance and evidence gathering operation of an organised crime group off on arrests.


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 8:01 pm
 kilo
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they just chose to act on it rapidly once the excrement hit the fan.

Mr Hammer, please meet Mr Nail and Mr Head...much.

That's how public service works after tory austerity, a lot of time nothing happens until shit hits the fan (because there's no resources, no money, no morale and no support) and then senior leadership demand action to make them look decisive, welcome to the real world. 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 8:18 pm
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Well it makes sense if what you want is just an easy life. Instead of, you know, protecting the public and all that woke stuff.

But justice is supposed to be blind, without fear or favor etc.

You know that all police forces are independent and locally managed, right? With very different resources? 

I’d imagine the priorities, problems and duties of the police in Middlesbrough are somewhat different to those of the Met, to say the least.

I can’t imagine they encounter too many Just Stop Oil middle class pensioners chaining themselves to bridges in the North East, so how they’d deal with that particular issue is pretty academic. In fact, I’d think that’s a purely islIngton/North London issue

Meanwhile, back in the real world…. 


 
Posted : 25/08/2026 9:31 pm
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I can’t imagine they encounter too many Just Stop Oil middle class pensioners chaining themselves to bridges in the North East, so how they’d deal with that particular issue is pretty academic. In fact, I’d think that’s a purely islIngton/North London issue

Strange take, I always had you down as the Guardian reading Northerner type, not the moaning about London's Lefty Liberals type.

Turns out, Smoggies can be against genocide too, and get arrested for it.

Arrests as protesters occupy defence firm's Teesside factory roof - BBC News


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 9:57 am
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IIRC none of them were from the North East... not that it makes any difference as regards taking up police time.


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 10:24 am
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IIRC none of them were from the North East... not that it makes any difference as regards taking up police time.

Fair point, it was hard enough to find the news story again because there was a "Mr Middleborough" arrested in Liverpool for supporting Palestine action pushing the story I was down several pages in the results so I didn't read up on where they came from once I'd found it 🤣 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 10:49 am
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Surely, in thid context, wherevthey came from.is less impirtantvthan who arrested them?


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 11:11 am
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Surely, in thid context, wherevthey came from.is less impirtantvthan who arrested them?


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 11:11 am
 dazh
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But justice is supposed to be blind, without fear or favor etc.

In theory yes. But in the real world of finite police resources priorities have to be decided and resources need to be focused on specific things. I'm pretty sure the good people of Middlesbrough and other places blighted by these feral scrotes would prefer the cops to be taking them off the streets - by any means necessary - than harassing grandmas with a Palestine flag. 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 11:26 am
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I wonder how many coppers we have that are capable of dealing with violent criminals? When I’m out and about quite a lot of the ones I see are short and fat, it’s hard to imagine them being any use trying to arrest a 6ft+ thug who’s handy with his fists. 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 11:39 am
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Posted by: billabong987

I wonder how many coppers we have that are capable of dealing with violent criminals? When I’m out and about quite a lot of the ones I see are short and fat, it’s hard to imagine them being any use trying to arrest a 6ft+ thug who’s handy with his fists. 

Tasers and pepper spray

 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 12:28 pm
kelvin reacted
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When I’m out and about quite a lot of the [coppers] I see are short and fat, it’s hard to imagine them being any use trying to arrest a 6ft+ thug who’s handy with his fists.

The coppers used to be the 6ft+ thugs handy with their fists. Now we want fast tracked graduate humanities students and people who'll sit down and emote with junkies having a mental health crisis. In an ideal world it'd be useful to have both.


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 12:46 pm
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Posted by: billabong987

I see are short and fat

 

i bet these ones are nastier than the dollops when it counts 🤣

 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 12:48 pm
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Posted by: convert

And if you are not even worthy of a cut and paste cliche spaff, you're not going to be missed a ton.....or amount to much. 

Or for once the press have read the room and avoided much comment or air time for the 5 involved, and understandably focused on the tragic loss of public servants who died while doing their job.

 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 1:28 pm
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Posted by: billabong987

When I’m out and about quite a lot of the ones I see are short and fat...

Are you a 70s cop hankering after the days of institutionalised racism?

Height and other characteristics were removed from adverts decades ago because they were exclusionary


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 1:29 pm
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gmrz8d31mo

 

"cannot rule out a link to organised crime at this time"


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 1:51 pm
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Posted by: timba

Posted by: billabong987

When I’m out and about quite a lot of the ones I see are short and fat...

Are you a 70s cop hankering after the days of institutionalised racism?

Height and other characteristics were removed from adverts decades ago because they were exclusionary

 

Oh, give it a rest, would you rather a copper (who is supposed to protect the public) be useful or unfit? Well done for getting a racism reference in there though...

 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 1:57 pm
StuE reacted
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Posted by: montgomery

The coppers used to be the 6ft+ thugs handy with their fists. Now we want fast tracked graduate humanities students and people who'll sit down and emote with junkies having a mental health crisis. In an ideal world it'd be useful to have both.

I had a friend who joined the police. One of his classmates (bearing in mind this was Merseyside) was a massive ex-RL playing Pacific Islander (who was a bit of a gentle giant)


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 2:08 pm
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Posted by: TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

Posted by: timba

Posted by: billabong987

When I’m out and about quite a lot of the ones I see are short and fat...

Are you a 70s cop hankering after the days of institutionalised racism?

Height and other characteristics were removed from adverts decades ago because they were exclusionary

 

Oh, give it a rest, would you rather a copper (who is supposed to protect the public) be useful or unfit? Well done for getting a racism reference in there though...

 

Unfortunately you won't be able to take it up with Lord Scarman, maybe Doreen Lawrence would discuss it with you?

I've worked with many more cops of all shapes and sizes than you. Attitude and ability is far more important

 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 2:32 pm
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Posted by: timba

Attitude and ability is far more important

Attitude, can't argue with that. Ability to make an arrest would be handy though. You'd think


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 2:38 pm
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Posted by: TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

Posted by: timba

Attitude and ability is far more important

Attitude, can't argue with that. Ability to make an arrest would be handy though. You'd think

The majority of arrests don't involve fighting, regardless of what the press would have you believe.

Ability seasoned with a bit of capsicum (as needed) does most of the heavy lifting.

Dogs, etc. for the runners. Why exert yourself?

 


 
Posted : 26/08/2026 2:48 pm
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