MovieChat Forums > Happy Valley (2014) Discussion > What's the deal with police in UK ??

What's the deal with police in UK ??


I don't understand why they don't have side arms and swat teams ?? I mean how can you police the streets without a weapon in the 21st century and how dangerous people can be? I don't understand. Can somebody explain this rediculous protocol that states police in the UK can't carry anything but a baton and frekin mace?? I can carry that in my work bag lol. I know the gun problem is nothing as it is here in NYC and all the states for that matter but I can't wrap my head around this craziness !!

THERES NO ROOM IN MY CIRCUS TENT FOR YOU !!

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Because the UK is not run by the lunatic rabid morons of the NRA like the USA, which convinces the sheep that there is a murderer under their beds and around every corner. The UK is not the violent place depicted in fictional TV shows; therefore, the people have more commons sense than to arm the police.

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The sheep are the ones without a gun, who depend on the socialist "statists" to protect them.

I think my percentage of Chimp DNA is higher than others. Cleaver Greene

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The sheep are the ones without a gun, who depend on the socialist "statists" to protect them.


It generally works here, but thanks for playing.




I'm the clever one; you're the potato one.

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Wow, xenophobe much? It's a shame that people like you form such strong opinions regarding that which they know nothing about.

Just to set the record straight (for anyone who is rational minded enough to listen)...

Violent crime, per capita, in the US is equal to or even less than that in the UK based on types of crime. But yes, we do have a much higher rate of gun deaths. Although almost any death is horrible, to put it in perspective consider these facts.

Over half of US gun deaths are suicides. (Yet, overall suicide rates in the UK and US are almost the same.)

The vast majority of the remaining gun deaths are gang and/or drug related. (So the lesson here is not to get involved in gangs and drugs.)

Many US gun death statistics include shootings by lawful citizens defending their, or their family's, personal safety.

There are no statistics indicating where shootings or other crimes have been deterred by a gun or even the possibility of a victim having a firearm.

The media sensationalizes everything in order to gain viewers or even sway public opinion. What you see on the news or television programs is not representative of life in the US.

So overall the US is not some horrible place with innocent people being killed all the time. In fact, several studies have shown that Americans feel safer day to day, than our friends in the UK. Our major problem here is not guns. It is a complex mix of economic, social and mental health issues that no gun ban will solve.

As to the original poster, I wholeheartedly agree that it is strange for Americans to see unarmed police fighting crime. It doesn't mean either side is right or wrong. It's just a matter of what you're used to.

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Police in New Zealand and Ireland don't carry sidearms either, so it's not isolated to the UK. In the former they do have an assortment of firearms in their cars though, not sure about the latter. I guess a lot of it is public pressure, people don't want trigger happy police unloading a clip at the first sign of danger and killing someone who could have been detained more easily, or far worse, an innocent bystander.
Get on the scale son! Get off the scale.

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I knew about the no-gun policy in the UK, but what shocked me was in the first season, single cops riding about town alone, going in investigating alone, particularly that girl who pulled over the car and got killed alone... is that the case, or do they not have 'partners' in the UK?

Seems a basic safety standard protocol to keep; at least one police death within the narrative could have been avoided with backup around.

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