While flicking through the TV channels the other night (avoiding the 587 Quiz TV shows that are on British TV every night) there was this Crimefighters/Police show on . The copper had just arrested this druggie who had just got his fix. The copper then picked up the foil with some pliers. The camera luckily then zoomed in and he was using a Gerber. I think it was an MP400 but could have been the 600. Does anybody know if the police are issued with these, or would it have just been the copper who bought one?
The cops who carry them around here have purchased them on their own, which I think is a mark of an intelligent officer! When I managed security companies, the best opportunities were given to the guards who carried SAKs or multis because they were obviously the guys who were willing and equipped to deal with issues. I was tempted to lobby the owners of the company to issue a tool as part of the uniform, but decided then I'd have to work a little harder to find the standouts if everyone carried one!Def
Yup- problem is funding. Imagine you have one contract that needs 24/7 coverage. That's 168 hours in a week. You work 40 hours of that so you are paying out 128 hours to guards. Now, assuming you want decent, trained people, you need to pay a minimum of $9/hour (here anyway). That's 128 x $9/hour which works out to $1,152/week, not counting all the benefits, taxes etc that you have to pay as an employer. Pays are usually bi-weekly here, so that's $2,304 per pay period.Now, you start on September 1st, which means you don't bill until October 1st, which means that you have now had to shoulder two pay periods, or just under $5,000 before you can even send in a bill. Most companies won't pay that bill when they get it, they'll tally it up with the rest of October's expenses (since that's when they get billed) and they'll send payment by the first of November... by which point you have now taken on four pay periods out of pocket and are now $10,000 in the hole, plus you have been working two months pretty well for free, because that $10,000 doesn't include paying your gas, rent, groceries etc.I'm hoping to start a patrol/response service sometime in the next year, possibly do some investigation/surveillance work and maybe grow a security company from that. But, I need a new car first. Bright red Sunfires aren't the best for covert activity.Def
Maybe, but there's also the problem of trying to look casual sitting on the bike in front of a building for several hours in the middle of winter.... Def
Gas is between a dollar and $1.10/litre here. Instant nostalgia- when I got my first car I wouldn't fill up if it was any more than $.48 and our dollar was only worth about $.66US then!Def
That's a beauty! Reminds me of my old 500- virtually identical except the size! These days it's hard to remember what that bike looked like when it still had two wheels and the forks were bent 90 degrees to the frame!Def
Best of luck to him!G'night mate!Def
Quote from: cryptrick on September 09, 2007, 01:02:22 PMWhile flicking through the TV channels the other night (avoiding the 587 Quiz TV shows that are on British TV every night) there was this Crimefighters/Police show on . The copper had just arrested this druggie who had just got his fix. The copper then picked up the foil with some pliers. The camera luckily then zoomed in and he was using a Gerber. I think it was an MP400 but could have been the 600. Does anybody know if the police are issued with these, or would it have just been the copper who bought one?I've seen a lot of copper's using multi's but I doubt there issue item's, otherwise they could'nt afford toys like impretza's and fireblade's ;DJock's a copper so maybe he'll come along and give us an official answer
Quote from: micky d on September 09, 2007, 01:19:51 PMQuote from: cryptrick on September 09, 2007, 01:02:22 PMWhile flicking through the TV channels the other night (avoiding the 587 Quiz TV shows that are on British TV every night) there was this Crimefighters/Police show on . The copper had just arrested this druggie who had just got his fix. The copper then picked up the foil with some pliers. The camera luckily then zoomed in and he was using a Gerber. I think it was an MP400 but could have been the 600. Does anybody know if the police are issued with these, or would it have just been the copper who bought one?I've seen a lot of copper's using multi's but I doubt there issue item's, otherwise they could'nt afford toys like impretza's and fireblade's ;DJock's a copper so maybe he'll come along and give us an official answer Well I can speak for Strathclyde when I say that you are not issued with multi tools and I have not heard of any other force who issues them.Most of the cops up here carry Leathermans cause Gerbers are harder to find north of the border for some reason I carry a Vic climber for any odd job .If I had to pick up anything like that foil we are issued with a set of tongs which can be used for that and for searching pockets ,bags etc anywhere you just do not want to take the chance of putting your hand into cause it ain't good waiting for six months to find out if you have any potentially fatal illnessesBetter safe than dead
What about the Deluxe Tinker or Mechanic for the small pliers? They could come in handy for getting at nasty stuff hidden in a pocket and the like.Def
These days if you do that in uniform it just looks bad on you. As comedian Bobcat Goldthwaight says "If you ever see me getting beat by 15 cops, PUT DOWN THE CAMERA AND HELP ME!"Def
Quote from: Defender on September 10, 2007, 12:10:29 PMWhat about the Deluxe Tinker or Mechanic for the small pliers? They could come in handy for getting at nasty stuff hidden in a pocket and the like.DefGiven that some of the people I have to search that closely smell like they have been dead for a week at least! I prefer to use the issue tongs as they are easier to clean and if they get covered in something really nasty I can throw them away and it doesn't cost me a penny .I may start carrying a Swiss Champ for a full range of handy tools in a sheeple friendly package as every now and again I get to do a good deed for some of the more vunerable people I deal with.I have fixed door chains repaired dodgy window catches etc makes you feel good to help where you can
Good point... I don't know of any agencies on this side of the pond that offer tongs to their officers. Over here they tend to use rubber gloves more often than anything else, and there's quite an industry for puncture proof latex manufacturers. I use a brand called Nighthawks that are virtually impenetrable and chemical resistant, but aren't cheap. Tongs would make so much more sense!Reminds me of the NASA pen story about how the Americans spent untold millions of dollars developing a pen for space travel while the Russians simply used a pencil!You wouldn't happen to have a picture or any information on those tongs, would you?Def
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