A 17-year-old boy was repeatedly hit with a metal bar and a chair leg before being stripped naked in an attack in Greater Manchester.I presume he means the stripping naked part? As muggings of young men aren't exactly unknown.
...
Det Con Robert Ashurst, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "This was a terrifying experience for the victim, who is really young.
"He has been subjected to a cruel and vicious attack for the sake of just £11, but I'd like to stress that incidents like this are thankfully rare."
But that phrase, 'thankfully rare', crops up A LOT in police statements. For instance, also 'thankfully rare' are these crimes:
A taxi driver sexually assaulting a lone female in his cab
A honeypot lure that resulted in murder, not just mugging
A case of dangerous driving that led to two deaths
Two gangs clash and bullets fly
Machete wielding robbers
And finally...
Another mugging of a young man (though without the stripping naked bit)
In fact, it seems the only thing that isn't rare is that phrase. Has it replaced "'ello, 'ello, 'ello, what's goin' on 'ere, then?" in the modern police phrasebook?
All part of their community relations training, trying to minimise the obvious to anyone circumstances of increasing community violence.
ReplyDeleteThey have targets and quotas to meet you know and can't be having with the inconvenient facts getting in the way.
"This was a terrifying experience for the victim, who is really young."
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat the police (maybe the wrong choice of phrase?) for stating the bleedin' obvious....
You CAN beat the police...but you're going to jail if they catch you... ;)
ReplyDeleteWell spotted. You really are the expert in police bullshit.
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat the police but they sure as hell can G20 you at will.
ReplyDelete"You can't beat the police but they sure as hell can G20 you at will"
ReplyDelete..... but I'd like to stress that police assaults and executions leading to convictions and punishments for the uniformed, are thankfully rare.....
"we are very keen to track down those responsible"
ReplyDeleteSeems to be a standard police response too these days.
Keen? Yes, like an aspiration? Something the police would rather like to do but...""well, its just so inconvenient at the moment. Maybe we'll get round to it one day?"
I saw a bloke getting kicked by gang of youths few months ago. I expressed concern that he may have even been kicked to death, as was somebody else recently in the same area.
ReplyDeleteI received several voicemails, reassuring me that everything was ok, nobody was killed. I felt as if I was being put on the psychiatrist's couch by the police. I shouldn't be worrying, was their message.
They seemed to have much more emphasis on 'reassuring' the public than, it appeared, thsn actually trying to enforce the law.
"Seems to be a standard police response too these days.
ReplyDeleteKeen? Yes, like an aspiration? Something the police would rather like to do but...""well, its just so inconvenient at the moment. Maybe we'll get round to it one day?""
Maybe, if we are lucky.
But the signs aren't good...
"I received several voicemails, reassuring me that everything was ok, nobody was killed. I felt as if I was being put on the psychiatrist's couch by the police. I shouldn't be worrying, was their message."
Doubtless there's a target for this sort of thing. It's the kind of 'policing' that causes great anguish over on the police blogs.