OT; Bad idea :-)

[tony sayer]

In article , Grimly Curmudgeon scribeth thus

We had Three senior policeman out on the town one night a few years ago now.

A few yobs tried to mug them but came very much to grief;)..

[Dave Liquorice]

Which you are allowed to do. The problem is the wording of the laws that allow "self defence" it has to be "proportionate" "reasonable" etc which are damn hard words to pin down in the legal sense.

At least cameroon seems to wants to get this mess sorted out a bit after that farmer shot and injured and couple of blokes in his kitchen not that long ago.

[Tim Streater]

I think they are now accepting that those words "proportionate" "reasonable" etc are going to depend on circumstances. I don't know about others here, but I haven't biffed anyone since the usual playground scuffles at school. How do I know how hard you hit someone with a frying pan to knock them out? You're hardly going to have time to consider the matter.

Pity plod felt it necessary to keep the householder in the chokey for three days in the recent case. At least the judge showed common sense where it came to the burglars; I think his remarks reflect the approach the gumment is trying to follow.

[Dave Liquorice]

As hard as a fing well can, at least for the first strike. I don't want them getting up anytime soon, they are likely to be a little annoyed...

Once down repeatedly bashing them over the head is not "proportionate" or "reasonable", I'd go and get some long cable ties but might just get a bit ethustiastic about how tight I pulled 'em "in the heat of the moment" and I ain't going to cut 'em if rather tight and let the bugger free am I? And I would probably call the Police first rather than an ambulance...

That was wrong, I wonder what sort of case he has for ilegal imprisonment?

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Tim Streater writes

Good point, however... if you hit someone with a frying pan in your kitchen... reasonable action. If you were in bed and hit someone with a frying pan in your bedroom, plod might take the view that you had secreted the pan as a weapon and ventured outside the reasonable action defence.

They tend to get very upset about anything impinging on their job security. Clearly the householder should have contacted the emergency services who, with infinite resources, would have swung into action and protected him.

I guess the questioning centred around why the gun and ammunition were not locked away in the gun cabinet.

>

[whisky-dave]

Almost shakespearean, 2D or not 2d that is the question :)

[Alan (BigAl)]

Love it indeed!

Do you remember the scroats in Swansea who picked on the two lads in (fancy dress) drag?

turned out to be professional cage fighters.

Al.

[Tim Watts]

4-6 cell maglite - a perfectly reasonable item to have by your bed. Good hand hold (the head end), long, hard and heavy.

[The Medway Handyman]

That would make the frying pan an 'offensive weapon'.

[Dave Liquorice]

True enough which is why something like a decent torch next to your bed (in case of power cuts) is a better choice. A 6 D Cell Maglight is a bit heavy but has good reach... a 4 D cell is probably a better compromise between abilty to swing indoors and weight.

The reports I read refered to a legally held shot gun. I didn't see anything that implied that it wasn't locked away ina gun cabinet. I'd place a gun cabinet and ammunition where I could get at it without venturing far from my bedroom so that any scroates trying to get access to it would probably wake me and so I could get to it before venturing too far when investigating suspected intruders.

[Andy Champ]

Say the former, and plod will pat you on the back. Say the latter, and he might be cross.

Andy

[Tim Lamb]

Yes:-)

I think the actual security requirement are determined by the Chief Constable for the area.

Mine requires a steel cabinet of at least 2mm with one or more 5 lever dead locks. The cabinet must be fixed to the main fabric of the building using suitable high tensile bolts. Timber studding and plasterboard walls or other types of composition are not suitable for such fixing.

Section 1 ammunition requires a separate locked container within the gun cabinet or securely fixed to the building fabric.

Firearms officers are entitled to check the storage provision.

[Huge]

Umm, no. The Home Office make recommendations. It's up to the Firearms Officer to decide if you meet them.

[Tim Lamb]

Maybe.

The Home Office don't write to me whereas the Chief Constable does. He may just be passing instructions from above. Post Dunblane and Hungerford documentation got tightened.

The FO is the only one to actually visit.

[Huge]

As you wish. A little Googling will reveal the truth.