Oh, and that phrase:
Perhaps you need to buy your The police chief who investigated the killing of two horses by police marksmen near York has said lessons should be learned from the incident.Yes, it's that infamous incident.
Following the outcry, Chief Supt McMillan investigated police tactics.Given that those 'attempts to corral the horses' were - according to commenters to the original article - made by people who didn't know what the hell they were doing, it's hardly surprising.
He said it was clear from public and police reports that “the public were in danger from the horses straying on to nearby A and B roads”, and attempts to corral the horses had failed.
The report said: “Expert advice was taken from two specialist equine vets...Really? Yet at least one of those vets wasn't at the scene at the time of the shooting. Having left quickly, no doubt once he realised what was about to happen...
...and the considered decision was made that the horses posed a very real and serious threat to public safety, particularly to those travelling on the nearby A1079.”And a police force that closes the road for the slightest little thing or road traffic accident wasn't about to do so here? Something stinks, frankly...
And nothing stinks worse than the account of the operation:
Chief Supt McMillan confirmed 18 shots were fired at the first horse, 15 from “a significant distance”, with officers climbing on to a police vehicle for a better angle.Pretty much every rule of humanely shooting animals broken there, surely? Insufficient calibre to kill cleanly, fired from too great a distance to be effective, at a moving target.
He said: “Due to the demeanour of the first horse it was not possible for rifle officers to come closer than 300 metres, thus all but three of the 18 shots were made at significant distance with a small sight picture of an animal moving erratically and at speed.”
Inadequate weapons, inadequate marksmen. All things that, were you hunting game in any civilised country, would get you prosecuted by the RSPCA or game wardens, and drummed out of any hunting fraternity you might belong to.
“After the first two shots, the first horse had not fallen to the ground so it became imperative to despatch it as soon as possible to prevent unnecessary suffering. This involved an additional 13 shots at distance, utilising the raised vantage point on the back of the police 4x4 vehicle to ensure the shots were fired downwards to maximise public safety.”Hang on a minute! This operation was authorised - despite the known problems - because the police feared the horses would run onto the busy nearby motorway, or in some other way 'endanger the public', wasn't it?
At no time did anyone consider that their main fear was actually made far more likely by a fusillade of inadequate gunfire and panicked, injured animals?
When officers approached the fallen horse, they realised it was still alive, so three more shots were fired.Jesus wept! Let's not count on these guys in the event of a zombie apocalypse, eh?
So, we can expect prosecutions, then? I mean, the Yorkshire branch of the RSPCA is usually pretty quick to act in other circumstances. And if an elderly cat cared for by a vet is considered fair game, why not a horse tortured to death with gunshots?
The firearms commanders, officers and tactical advisor had behaved in a professional and competent manner, in line with training and guidance.I'd hate to see what happened if they behaved in an unprofessional and incompetent manner, without following training and guidance, then!
So, what lessons could they possibly learn, McMillan? You seem to be contradicting yourself there?
Weapon systems were being reviewed to ensure effectiveness.
Update: It seems the public aren't happy with this whitewash either:
A police review into the killing of two stray horses in York has been described as “patronising” by one Dunnington resident.She's not taking the bland assurances lying down either:
Pam Frankland, 78, lives on a farm in Hull Road and complained to North Yorkshire Police about the incident, which took place on September 12.
Mrs Frankland said: “I received a letter from Chief Superintendent McMillan with the details of his review, and telling me he had considered all the facts of the incident.There's no fooling a Yorkshire lass, is there?
“It is the usual platitudes that the police write, saying they learned from it, but they never learn from these incidents.”
13 comments:
There is a pretty big cultural problem with the police.
It is clear to anyone with common sense and a passing knowledge of horse (I grew up on a farm, but haven't ridden in 15 years so am in no way an expert) that this would not be the best way to handle things!
I don't know what it is, but this is something that needs to be fixed, probably with a wholesale clear out of senior management ranks.
More importantly, it is the blatant lack of accountability which means that elected police commissioners are so critical. (Although, interestingly - although not surprisingly - my mother who is Chairman of our local police authority is vehemently opposed...that was a fun debate at Christmas...)
It is clear to anyone who has watched telly or even visited Yorkshire that this was a stupendous foul-up. The county is stuffed full of cattle, sheep and horses, not to mention wild deer and pheasants. Are they proposing to shoot everything which might dash on to the road?
If I wanted a pair re-captured I'd open the yellow pages at 'horse riding' and start ringing round the hunts, liveries, racing yards and trainers. You can hardly move for equestrian specialists who do nothing but breed, break and move horses for a living. What about asking the mounted division for advice, if they have any?
In the meantime I'd have the police treat it like any other hazardous traffic problem and have 'slow' signs posted with officers enforcing a creepy-crawl along the road so if they did dash out, any collision would be at a lower speed. (I'm assuming they did this, but one can never be sure these days).
The RSPCA should go after the vet. He owed the animals a professional duty of care in that if they had to be destroyed, he was the one who should have done it rather than leave it to a bunch of puzzled officers who were clearly out of their depth.
If I were the Chief Constable I'd sack the vet immediately (it's probably only a contract) and find someone who is capable advising properly in an emergency, before somebody gets killed through mis-managing livestock.
How come one shot from a pistol is enough to kill a horse stone dead in all the cowboy & western movies?
Does this mean we have been lied to all these years??
I think we should be told...
sent a link to your post to Stray FM, Julia. They reported that Harrogate police attempted to shoot some stray cows running arounf on The Stray (a park in the centre of Harrogate). The jock that took my call to report our police forces reaction to the cows is called Nick Hankock.
They were concerned that the cows would interfere with Harrogate wives as they ferried thier brats to school in 4x4s. And yes WOAR, 4x4s that have never seen mud, cows or horses, mostly.
This stinks to high heaven. Treating animals like that is plain wrong. If a member of the public treated his or her animals like that the RSPCA would be down on them (backed up by the police of course!) like a tonne of bricks.
Remember this case: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/aug/19/grey-squirrel-drowned-challenge-rspca
When are the RSPCA going to take on the police for cruelty? Who can we email to try and prod them into action? The police chief has pretty much condemned himself with his own statement. An open and shut case I would have thought.
XX “Due to the demeanour of the first horse it was not possible for rifle officers to come closer than 300 metres, XX
WHAT????
They have never tried to saddle a semi gelding* in it's atall, have they?
Wankers.
* Probably done by a "gypoe in the pub", did not quite work, and Solomon (the horse in question) was a bit pissed off with the state of affairs.
In it's Stall, that should be.
"...probably with a wholesale clear out of senior management ranks."
There's a tendency to blame all their ills on management, and there's no doubt that that's a big, big part of it.
But the individual officers bear some responsibility too, surely? If they didn't feel that what they were doing was right (sand how could they have?), they should have refused.
"If I wanted a pair re-captured I'd open the yellow pages at 'horse riding' and start ringing round the hunts, liveries, racing yards and trainers."
It seems that advice was indeed on hand, yet was ignored: "“I spoke to a farmer at the time who was in tears after the shooting because he was so close to catching the horse, before police upset then shot it.”"
"The RSPCA should go after the vet. He owed the animals a professional duty of care..."
They should indeed. But they won't.
"How come one shot from a pistol is enough to kill a horse stone dead in all the cowboy & western movies?"
Given the amazing lack of accuracy with those old pistols, I'm amazed they could even hit a horse! Mind you, have things changed now..?
" They reported that Harrogate police attempted to shoot some stray cows running arounf on The Stray..."
Clearly their bloodlust isn't yet sated...
"...and Solomon (the horse in question) was a bit pissed off with the state of affairs."
Can't blame him! ;)
I found two horse on the M5 one morning, many yeasrs ago. I was on the way to a dog show.So with dog leads and samwiches in hand I caught both of them and the Police car arrive. I shouted instruction to him and knowing the best way is to keep them on the move he went ahead to find an unopened gate. We were near a junction and within 20 mins I was back on my way and left him trying to find their owners. I must have caught 15 horse on the roads in my life and 2 dogs on thr central resevation of the M6 who had collors on. The major problem they had mated and were tied and I had to carry both of them back to the hard shoulder. I found their home via their tags needless to say I gave them a bollocking not the dogs the owners.
I have lost some horses in the York area can anyone give me a discription of the horses please
Further to my comment I am writing a
book and have websites up to with them. One exposes the Police and Courts in a Horse Theft. E-Vigilante
.co.uk and rspca-exsposed.org which is self explanatory both via google.
I can be contacted on
miscarriages_of_justice@yahoo.co.uk
"So with dog leads and samwiches in hand I caught both of them and the Police car arrive. I shouted instruction to him and knowing the best way is to keep them on the move he went ahead to find an unopened gate. We were near a junction and within 20 mins I was back on my way and left him trying to find their owners."
Clearly many years ago, if a lone cop turned up and was willing to take advice from someone who knew what they were doing!
The phrase, "shooting like storm-troopers" springs to mind.
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