Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
(5) UK: "Have-a-go heroes" get legal right to defend themselves
Source: Telegraph [UK]
"Home owners and "have-a go-heroes" have for the first time been given the legal right to defend themselves against burglars and muggers free from fear of prosecution. They will be able to use force against criminals who break into their homes or attack them in the street without worrying that "heat of the moment" misjudgements could see them brought before the courts. Under new laws police and prosecutors will have to assess a person's actions based on the person's situation
"as they saw it at the time" even if in hindsight it could be seen as unreasonable." (07/16/08)
I just received this in an e-mail, it flies against everything else I've read about the UK's policy on self defense. Have y'all heard or read anything about these new laws? I sure HOPE it's true. Prosecuting someone for defending themselves against hooligans and ne'er do wells is counterproductive, to say the least...
Paul - in Pereira
"He is the best friend of American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion." -- John Witherspoon
I saw that and another post on a new practice by the police, Not sure of which city, but they promise to answer any calls. However It can vary from 3hours to 3 days after help or aid is requested. They do say that urgent(?) aid in three hours and more or less non-emergency calls can take up to three days. They do promise to be there promptly on the prescribed day and time given at the time of the call. Not bad,only 3 hours in an emergency. I guess they do tend to be busy. ATB
I have not seen any official notification but a few politicians have been pressing for the law to be made clear on this. We have never lost, in law, the right to self defense but the Nanny State Brigade have tried to make it difficult if not even impossible to protect your self without being arrested and put in police custody. We still cannot have a firearm in England, Scotland or Wales for self defense, I think the law on that maybe different in Northern Ireland.
As I see it the UK police do as they are told by the Government and if the Government think they are losing votes because of over zealous policing they will instruct the police to go easy on honest voters that stand up for them selves!
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
An amazingly inaccurate and irresponsible piece of reporting by the Daily Telegraph. The right to use "reasonable force" in self defence has been enshrined in British law for centuries.Section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 seeks to clarify the existing law on self defence but it makes no changes to it. What it does is to require the Crown Prosecution Service, which decides whether to prosecute cases,to apply greater consideration to the circumstances of each case, for example, how fear and adrenalin rush may affect the defendant's ability to make rational judgements. It remains to be seen how these changes will affect the current situation.
As to the "3 hour to 3 day response time" this again has been widely misreported. The statement referred to response times for offenses reported by means other than a 999 call (our version of 911). Responses to 999 calls are much faster but do depend on the area you live in and the manning levels of your local force. I live in an area covered by the London Metropolitan force and when my house was broken into they had armed response and dog units on the scene withing 5 minutes, apprehending the teenage housebreaker. Of course, as a registered firearms holder I suspect I get better than average service from the police - maybe they were afraid I might shoot him myself.
Perry Owens
If the Brits could get away with taking a staff to those yobs they wouldn't have the problems they have. That article reminded me of the 100 flowers program in the PRC. "Let one hundred flowers bloom, let one hundred thoughts contend." Yep, they let the people post their concerns and ideas in the public square just long enough to ID the "trouble makers" then arrested them. It is believed that many were executed or died as slave labor making products for the western world early in the China's current modernization move.
I can just see them rounding up all those who dare defend themselves.
Sincerely,
Hobie
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
Sounds just like Australian law to me.
We are legally entitled to defend ourselves but it's illegal to own the tools needed to do so.
The ferals over here carry machetes, baseball bats, starpickets, golfclubs etc, and any of the things which you would need to defend yourself against these weapons would be deemed illegal to carry.
Christmas last year a group of aboriginals started on a family of white beachgoers at Geraldton north of Perth, several calls were made to 000 emergency and a couple of calls were made to the local cop shop, but the cops were busy and didn't arrive till it was too late. One man was killed, beaten to death with a cricket bat, while his family stood by, helpless and defenceless.
Bob
***********************************
You have got to love democracy-
It lets you choose who your dictator is going to be.
***********************************
gundownunder wrote:Sounds just like Australian law to me.
We are legally entitled to defend ourselves but it's illegal to own the tools needed to do so.
.
After reading perry owens excellent reply and how the Metropolitan Police turned up with an Armed Response Unit to apprehend a teenage house breaker I thought how come they are tooled up to defend themselves when we are not allowed the same privilege! OK so the house he broke into contained firearms and so the punk may have got hold of one but how do we know if the house breaker we meet in the dead of night has not just robbed a similar house and is thus armed? I know the police do a dangerous job and deserve to have the correct tools to do it but we poor subjects of the Crown are denied the same rights!
yeah I know I'm preaching to the converted here, just felt better saying it!
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
yeah I know I'm preaching to the converted here, just felt better saying it!
I know what you mean GK. When we lived in New York there was always a loaded gun within reach at home and I made sure my wife, who is not a shooter, knew how to use it. Now we are back in the UK are we suddenly any less responsible? I don't think so, but now our guns must be kept in locked safes out of easy reach and we can't even legally own a pepper spray!
Perry Owens
Guys, guys, it's easy to own and use the tools to defend your selves in Britain. Just hide behind a shiny crown badge and get away with murder, join the police today
Britain,,,, it's finnished!
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough. מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976 Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
Guys, guys, it's easy to own and use the tools to defend your selves in Britain. Just hide behind a shiny crown badge and get away with murder, join the police today
Britain,,,, it's finnished!
Nath,
My son and daughter are both British police officers. They joined because they wanted to make a difference to the situation instead of just whining about it.I'm sure thay did not realize that there are other perks to the job such as you describe.Still, when they are out there, unarmed, being punched, spat on and otherwise villified they will be comforted in the knowledge that at least they can get away with murder if they have a mind to.
Perry Owens
