Terrorist attack, Christchurch NZ

wimmera1 · March 17, 2019, 10:02am

Appreciate your reply.

saladin · March 17, 2019, 10:04am

Just reading online, it’s a five km drive to the second mosque, and then he was apprehended quite a distance from there but doesn’t seem to be a breakdown of times.

SMJ · March 17, 2019, 10:05am

People (not just Wim, many people) seem to think that police are like Superman - in order for them to do a good job they need to magically hear the first sign of trouble and then fly at the speed of light to save the day. It just simply does not work like that.

SMJ · March 17, 2019, 10:06am

They actually drove past him when he was driving from the first mosque to the second. Obviously at that stage they would have had a location but not a vehicle description yet

wimmera1 · March 17, 2019, 10:06am

I haven’t watched the video, and won’t, but it seemed longer.
Thanks.

saladin · March 17, 2019, 10:07am

I haven’t either, and certainly won’t.

Humbert_Humbert · March 17, 2019, 10:08am

I think it’s reasonable to discuss response times in these scenarios, and certainly not disrespectful. I imagine that if there’s a regular burg or punch up the local cops can just rock up but in a situation where there’s a whole lot of gunshots then special forces would need to get kitted up and armed. In which case it’d surely take a bit longer. Especially as it’s Christchurch not Chicago we’re talking about.

Having said all that I know basically sweet FA about police work.

SMJ · March 17, 2019, 10:08am

It was also 36 minutes between first gunshot and arrest, not response. Very different things

SMJ · March 17, 2019, 10:09am

You’re not far off actually. In a situation like this there would be regular first responders (average donut eating cops in a car), but you’re correct that it would take a bit longer for the SOG (or whatever the NZ equivalent is) to get on site.

saladin · March 17, 2019, 10:10am

Standard NZ police are not routinely carrying firearms either, are they? No idea what their protocols are in such a scenario.

SMJ · March 17, 2019, 10:10am

I don’t know that but it would surprise me if they didn’t carry a firearm as standard issue

Reboot · March 17, 2019, 10:11am

But he was grabbed by regular cops.

And 36 minutes for this particular situation wasn’t too bad imo.

Shelton10 · March 17, 2019, 10:11am

It wasn’t 36 minutes to first response. It was 36 minutes to apprehension.

wimmera1 · March 17, 2019, 10:11am

I don’t have a problem with your post.
Or that you don’t like mine.

SMJ · March 17, 2019, 10:12am

I agree it was a great response. And yes the SOG wouldn’t have had time to get in site in 36 mins, it was a ramming by a police vehicle as far as I understand (great tactic in the circumstances)

saladin · March 17, 2019, 10:12am

I think they’re like English bobbies used to be. Batons and non lethal devices. Not certain about that though.

Reboot · March 17, 2019, 10:13am

They had firearms in the boot

SMJ · March 17, 2019, 10:13am

If that’s true, then any money that will change pretty quick

saladin · March 17, 2019, 10:16am

Just looked it up. They don’t carry on the person as a matter of course. But each patrol car has a safe box with a pistol and a rifle in the boot which high command can authorise use of.

Airport police carry sidearms as general equipment.

You_Shall_Be_Smoten · March 17, 2019, 10:23am

FWIW the response times to the various incidents in London in recent years have been 12, 11 and 8 minutes. London is geared up for this kind of thing with squads sitting in vans ready for immediate deployment, CCTV and control centres to track incidents and direct the response.

Edit: 11 minutes sounds really quick until you realise that’s to the bridge next to the Houses of Parliament