Posts by Mark Rainer

The broken terror systems that killed de Menezes

Re:- Dead man switch...

sure it's trivially easy to make and although it's less easy to make reliable, they don't seem to be too bothered by poor reliability. Considering possible malfunctions brings (as Douglas Adams might have said) a new meaning to the term 'fail-safe' that we haven't previously come across. It may be that the safest way to stop such a device from detonating is what they call a controlled explosion - actually a few hundred ccs of water propelled into the wiring at supersonic speed. This can only be done from point-blank range so it may require insane volunteers.

Someone hereabouts also suggested that a tazer was less likely to fire a detonator than most people think. I'm sure that's true but again, a tazer detector would be trivially easy to make.

As to problems of attitudes within the Met, I certainly don't think that the guy who pulled the trigger needs to be singled out for special blame but I have to admit to some disappointment at learning that he's still carrying a gun. Neither do I think that Sir Ian Blair's resignation would be a particularly good thing for two reasons: firstly he was only in post for six months before DeMenezes was killed - having taken over some time after the institution of the shoot-to-kill policy; secondly I can't imagine that any likely successor would be an improvement in any worthwhile way.

Am I the only one who is annoyed to hear that officers who carry firearms loaded with Dum-dum bullets have been "specially trained"? Disregarding the Mossad thing, WTF does that mean? Who trains the trainers? Does the syllabus include recognising a suicide bomb?

Shoot-to-kill policy is logically flawed

The Met's shoot-to-kill policy is logically flawed where it is applied to suspected (or even confirmed) suicide bombers.

As long as innocent Brazillians or other non-combatants are being killed, that's fine by the terrorists: the Met is doing a grand job on their behalf (better, indeed than they appear to be capable of themselves). However, when they succeed in killing a real terrorist on a mission before an explosion, if not before such a time, the terrorists could easily change tactics and proceed in future carrying a grenade with the pin removed. Just in case the few dollars cost of a grenade is too much, a simply modified heart-rate monitor from one of several high street stores may be easier and less obvious.

I guess we'll have a terrorist test at some future date, much like the medieval witch test: shoot them dead and if they just die, they were innocent but if they explode and kill several innocent bystanders, then we'll know that they were guilty.