Comments on: Police medic in job creation scheme

By: The State giveth and taketh away. « Check Your Premises

The State giveth and taketh away. « Check Your Premises — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:30:44 +0000

[...] Chicken Yoghurt gives us an interesting image from a British protest. Apparently, what the medics give, they are also allowed to take [...]

By: Richard Lawson

Richard Lawson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:01:14 +0000

It may be that the Police medic is in the course of assessing someone with a shoulder problem. He is saying “Raise your right arm in the air, like me. Does it hurt when you do that?” And because of the awkward camera angle, and the fact that the photo is taken out of context, gives the false impression that he is hitting someone. Yes, that’s the answer.

By: Andy Nicholas

Andy Nicholas — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:40:15 +0000

Of course it is, to the best of My Knowledge, not permissable for several men to hold someone down and empty a weapon into their head at close range either, lest anyone think thats something the Army share with the police.

By: Andy Nicholas

Andy Nicholas — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:36:01 +0000

Thank you for the info, may well have changed since my time then.

By: The death of Ian Tomlinson is not the issue 3

The death of Ian Tomlinson is not the issue 3 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:00:40 +0000

[...] the attitudes of individual officers, on the ground, towards protesters. For a start, they have to explain this photo. Not the fact that the officer in question is a medic, but that the officer in question has baton [...]

By: Dan Hardie

Dan Hardie — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:43:48 +0000

I suspect I’m going to regret getting involved but, since a lot of people are suddenly claiming expertise on military medics:

1) Andy Nicholas says ‘ajay is in fact entirely wrong, Army, and indeed other forces, medics are designated non-combatant and do not carry weapons, nor are they trained to do so. They are also duty bound to treat wounded members of enemy forces, and Yes I do know what I’m talking about.’
No, Andy, you do not know what you are talking about.

I served as an Army medic last year in Afghanistan, and when on patrol I carried a loaded rifle, which I have been trained to use, like every other Army medic. Medics are obliged to treat enemy personnel, and I did treat at least one confirmed Taliban fighter, but that is irrelevant to the business of carrying weapons. The Geneva Convention says that medics may carry firearms to protect themselves and their patients, and we do.

2) The whole question of Army medics is irrelevant to how police medics behave, and even more irrelevant to how this one individual was acting. (So thank you to Ajay for dragging it all in.) There is no such thing as ‘non-combatant’ status in a civilian police force: it makes sense to label any policeman with medical training, so that he can clearly be identified if there are people needing treatment, but the ideas that a copper with medical training should not take action to apprehend a criminal, or should expect not to be attacked by criminals, are crazy.

Having said that, this particular police medic seems out of control. Hitting someone on the head with a baton is a potentially lethal action which should be taken if it’s the only way to prevent an even worse outcome. This guy seems to me to be lashing out for the hell of it, in common with rather a lot of coppers at that demonstration.

3) For the benefit of any passing Observer columnists, I should note that I am *still* not a Doctor.

By: davecole.org » blog » Blog Archive » Ian Tomlinson’s death is not the issue

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:09:14 +0000

By: Little Richardjohn

Little Richardjohn — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:41:52 +0000

He was wacking someone he couldn’t see, behind two lines of helmeted lumps. He couldn’t have had any appreciation of what was happening on the other side of the cordon, and no idea of the damage he migt be causing, or to whom.
The reason the Red Cross is guaranteed safe conduct in war is because it does not bear arms. By bearing arms in this way, the police medics lay themselves open to attack – which is possibly why his colleagues tried to restrain him..

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:23:38 +0000

Not all officer are like this, boy lucky you were not with us on the miners strike, because believe me all police officer were like this. OK a few stated they did not enjoy hitting women and children but it had to be done.

Thatcher changed the police that year, they became the tools of the government.

By: Lord T

Lord T — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:15:57 +0000

Not long ago Politicians overtook Lawyers as the most hated group. It won’t be long before Plod overtake Lawyers to take that number 2 slot. Politicians, of course, having an insurmountable lead.

Lawyers btw have not changed in any way. Just so we are clear.