Chris Boonzaier Posted May 4, 2015 Posted May 4, 2015 Hi,I mean the pics of guys with assault rifles and Sniper rifles... stuff that you dont want within reach of a rioter ;-) We need a seperate SWAT thread...
leigh kitchen Posted May 4, 2015 Posted May 4, 2015 In the early 1970's - at the height of the Vietnam War - left wing groups in the UK organised a number of demonstrations in front of the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. The numbers were enormous and the Met. Police fought pitched battles for many hours to get the situation under control. There were two main demos. - both with serious Police casualties. This picture shows just one section - and it was fairly calm at this point. I think nearly every Police officer suffered injuries - we had no special equipment to help. I am somewhere in this crowd...........When you see the vulnerability of the Police , you can understand why most cities have these special riot squads. IInteresting when you watch footage - instead of using their long sticks mounted officers strike with short truncheons, leaning down to use them. not a good idea. It's an indication of how British police were used to dealing with public order situations, a certain lack of experience beyong trudging & wedging, pushing, punching. kicking & if you thought of it using a truncheon.I can remember the first long batons being issued to me in a county force on the evening of a "rave" before things started.Issued on the authority of a senior officer only. inspected before issue to you. serial number noted against your name & number. handed in a matter of minutes later. inspected & serial number checked. And then being told authority will never be given for you to use them.
Mervyn Mitton Posted May 5, 2015 Author Posted May 5, 2015 Thankyou everyone for commenting and adding to this post.Chris, I have to disagree with you on the naming - SWAT teams are a modern invention in order to meet force with force. I think they started with US Forces but have been copied by many other countries. They are nothing spectacular - a heavily armed squad , usually with an armoured vehicle. Ideal for coping with violent local incidents. Riot Squads are a different matter - they are intended to deal with substantial outbreaks of violence and where large numbers of people are involved. By their very nature a full scale riot can do great damage and involve injury and death to many people.Britain introduced the first Riot Act in the 18th Century and it was necessary for a local magistrate to read-it in front of the crowd. From that point any force could be used - including troops opening fire. The big problem was always to find a magistrate brave enough to stand in public. For this reason the first two Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police - and succeeding ones - were given the powers of a magistrate just to read the Act.The pictures that I am showing are interesting in the defensive clothing and armament that is in use. Bear in mind that these are units based at different HQ's - they are capable of being used in unit strength for SWAT ops. - but, can combine quickly for much greater numbers in the event of a full riot.Additional to the modern clothing and equipment I have found members' pictures from the past also to be of interest. I hope others will continue to be posted. I have about 8 in the original series still to post. Mervyn
Chris Boonzaier Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 Thankyou everyone for commenting and adding to this post.Chris, I have to disagree with you on the naming - SWAT teams are a modern invention in order to meet force with force. I think they started with US Forces but have been copied by many other countries. They are nothing spectacular - a heavily armed squad , usually with an armoured vehicle. Ideal for coping with violent local incidents. Riot Squads are a different matter - they are intended to deal with substantial outbreaks of violence and where large numbers of people are involved. By their very nature a full scale riot can do great damage and involve injury and death to many people. Indeed. but that does not change the fact that the pics here with assault rifles and sniper rifles are not Riot police.
leigh kitchen Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 "Britain introduced the first Riot Act in the 18th Century and it was necessary for a local magistrate to read-it in front of the crowd. From that point any force could be used - including troops opening fire. The big problem was always to find a magistrate brave enough to stand in public. For this reason the first two Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police - and succeeding ones - were given the powers of a magistrate just to read the Act." Mervyn And Chiefs / Commissioners weren't going to want "riot" declared too often - the police then became liable for damage.When I did my basic training in 1980, the Garden Hotel, Cambridge riot of 1970 was the most recent riot in Britain:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_House_riothttp://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/oct/18/appeal-riot-sentencing-firm-fair
Hoss Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 Military Rozzers, "Officer I'm just going to the corner shop for milk and smokes, neat helmet". lol!Eric
leigh kitchen Posted May 5, 2015 Posted May 5, 2015 Appropriately dressed & equipped for some of the areas I had to patrol on a bicycle.They'll be community police the way policing's going in Britain. I've told my wife her pension - screwed "Sheehey's home to roost " county - mounties are becoming " I'm a milkman yesterday, policeman today. delivery driver tomorrow" milicia, she's not convinced yet but time will tell......
mickey Posted May 6, 2015 Posted May 6, 2015 bobbie hanvey photo of a female ruc riot police officer in the back of her transport and a photo taken of riot police 80 years earlier at a state prison riot in the usa in the back of their transport shotguns everywhere
Mervyn Mitton Posted May 6, 2015 Author Posted May 6, 2015 Chris - certain Forces - Britain for one, use defensive weaponry only. Troops can only be used if the Govt. and the Police agree. However, it is a different case with many overseas Police Forces where heavy weaponry is deployed immediately - and is used.You keep confusing SWAT - or immediate response armed units - as being quite separate. Riot Police are similar in equipment and training - perhaps just trained to a higher degree in working together. At the end of the day a Force can only have so many men trained in dealing with a riot. What actually happens is that the basic man power is called-up - and fitted out with the special equipment kept in bulk. The front-liners will be those who have had training in working together.Personally I take Leigh's comments as having a lot of sense. He and I were of a similar period and would be sent out to deal - on our own - with incidents that today are dealt with out of all proportion. The support of the public - and remember in Britain that we are a civilian police force - is very important. I agree that times have changed and that violence is more widespread - however, a uniformed PC brings a sense of measured order that most people respond to. Mervyn
peter monahan Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 Someone commented on the NZ riot squad during the Springboks tour. I remember watching a film clip of them practicing for the anticipated protests: shields held up and short batons projecting forward, ahead of the shield. The whole squad advanced in lock step and every time their right boots came down they jabbed the batons forward at solar plexus height, very quickly, and withdrew them. It looked like a threshing machine and was one of the most frightening things I'd ever seen! It reminded me of what i imagined a Roman legion must have looked like wading into a crowd of 'barbs' and, I suspect, with the same effect.
mickey Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 the pr24 riot baton used by the nz police riot squad during the 81 springbok tour the squad was known as the red squad and a photo of them in action
peter monahan Posted May 14, 2015 Posted May 14, 2015 Obviously I imagined/misremembered the shileds for the NZ riot squad in '81, but, yes, those are the lads I was thinking of. Very impressive lot.
mickey Posted May 15, 2015 Posted May 15, 2015 hi peter the protesters used homemade shields to try to stop or deflect the thrusting blows of the batons it was a very effective technique for the type of riot
Dave Wilkinson Posted March 5, 2017 Posted March 5, 2017 On 02/05/2015 at 11:24, Mervyn Mitton said: NEW YORK POLICE ON CROWD CONTROL The photo indicates that these officers are from Los Angeles. Dave.
peter monahan Posted March 7, 2017 Posted March 7, 2017 I recently made the mistake of trying to chat with the Sgt. in charge of the Toronto Police mounted [riot] squad near a demo outside a US consulate. He was quite curt and wanted to know who I was/what I was doing. I can only assume he figured I was doing a recce for future badness against he and his mount. In fact, I was just being my usual gormless self, trying to strike up a chat but I suppose they have toi assume the worst. Not a job I'd want!
Dave Wilkinson Posted May 21, 2020 Posted May 21, 2020 On 01/05/2015 at 11:35, Mervyn Mitton said: Los Angeles RIOT SQUAD. ARMED WITH THE HEAVY DUTY REPEATING SHOTGUN (S.A. INVENTION) Missouri State Police. Not Los Angeles.
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