0742Sheff Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I gather it was because, at that point, they considered it worth risking whatever they had to hand in an attempt to get him to drop the gun. Frankly, I'm inclined to think they were right, but I haven't read every single detail on the story. I don't know why an unauthorised taser was on the scene to begin with; that question would bear answering, but maybe it already has been answered. Given that it was there, I see no reason for them not to use it if it was their only hope of dropping Moat without he or anyone else being killed. That's the problem though. They didn't know. No one did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 The police tried to take him alive, if they didn't want to take him alive they had ample opportunity to shoot him during the hours in which a trained negotiator was talking to Moat. He could have given himself up at any time and been led away, cuffed, arrested and duly processed. That is what the police wanted to happen..they wanted Moat to drop his weapon and surrender. He didn't. Therefore they had a choice....let a deranged, possibly suicidal, nutter with a gun, hold forth all night long...or do something about it. He wasn't going to be taken alive, I think the police tried to save his life but failed. It may have been a cackhanded attempt to save his life, but they were trying to do right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John X Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'd have preferred it if a sniper had taken him out much earlier with a single shot. Which is summary execution and illegal in this country. John X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadingNorth Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 That's the problem though. They didn't know. No one did. I'm not sure why you call that a problem. Nobody ever does know what will happen. They make the best judgment call they can under the circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metaphoria Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Mentaly ill man that caused a situation that the police had to respond to. You can complain about the police, but they didn't create this situation. Ruined lives. I suppose you have to consider his family and show some respect to that, but to blame the police is just absurd, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plekhanov Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I knew it! Ever since Moat's demise. We've had the media bang on about what a bad 'un he was - I'm not arguing with that, and I don't think anyone would. We've had images of PC Rathbone rammed down our throat, - it was terrible what Moat did to him, and I don't think anyone would disagree with that either. We've heard nothing from the police about that night, except they 'didn't know' what happened and an enquiry would give answers. They didn't know they tasered him just before he shot himself? even, likely, causing him to shoot himself? We find out in the meantime whilst these facts are being withheld from us that the tasers used by the police were unlicensed and illegal in this country. The (edit) Director of Operations (and ex-police officer) of the firm supplying the said tasers suspiciously commits suicide shortly after Moat's death. It turns out Raoul Moat's brother might have been more right than we thought when he claimed Raoul was "publically executed". But have the police and media been successful in sufficiently whipping up hate for him that nobody cares? Has sufficient time passed that no one is bothered? It's not about Raoul Moat, it's about illegal, unlicensed tasers, witholding the facts, police abusing their powers and the rights of citizens in this country. Yeah because the public are generally so well disposed to people who attempt to murder their ex, murder their ex's new partner and shoot random police officers, it totally took a concerted media campaign to "whip up hate" against him We've had documentaries by TV psychologists, telling us how Raoul was definitely rotten through and through, but I don't recall one documentary investigating the claims Raoul made that he was being harrassed by police constantly, so much that he felt he couldn't go about his day to day business, before the terrible events unfolded. Doesn't this matter? Why should anyone waste their time on the paranoid ravings of just another violent loser unable to take his partner (wisely) realising she'd be better off with pretty much anyone but him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Vader Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Why should anyone waste their time on the paranoid ravings of just another violent loser unable to take his partner (wisely) realising she'd be better off with pretty much anyone but him? The media's job should be to portray both sides of the story, in my opinion, and to give us all the facts and issues behind the story. When Moat claimed he was being constanly harrassed by the police, the media should have been asking questions about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0742Sheff Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 The media's job should be to portray both sides of the story, in my opinion, and to give us all the facts and issues behind the story. When Moat claimed he was being constanly harrassed by the police, the media should have been asking questions about this. When did that ever stop the media playing us all though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0742Sheff Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 I'm not sure why you call that a problem. Nobody ever does know what will happen. They make the best judgment call they can under the circumstances. The problem is the gun they used. None of the officers there knew what effect it was going to have on him. That gun simply shouldn't have been there. I watched a video a few years ago where a man was holding a gun to his head and was about to apparently going to kill himself. From over 100 feet away a sniper shot the gun right out of his hand. It leaves me wondering if the police wanted Moat alive or not. Couldn't a sniper shoot the gun or even his hand to ensure he couldn't pull that trigger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSte Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Couldn't a sniper shoot the gun or even his hand to ensure he couldn't pull that trigger? TBH to pull off a shot like that would be very difficult even for a trained sniper. Under perfect conditions there may have been a chance (i.e no wind, sniper and target in exactly right position) but I doubt that perfect conditions existed when confronting Moat That type of shot mostly only exists in the movies. While it is not impossible in real life its highly difficult and insanely risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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