Did you deserve it?

You don’t always get what you deserve in life. Sometimes you do. Sometimes the return is more than you expected. Sometimes less:

A video has emerged showing what happened before a police officer was filmed kicking and stamping on a man’s head at Manchester Airport.

Officers can be seen trying to restrain one man before a second intervenes.

A fight breaks out and two officers are punched to the ground, the footage obtained by the Manchester Evening News shows.

Not sure if the kick and the stamp were necessary, but given what happened before that, it’s understandable that it did. Obviously, we don’t have all the facts and looking at the kick and the stamp in isolation, it’s quite plainly wrong.

The question for me is not, “Should a Police officer have done that”? The question for me is, “How do the Police prevent people from assaulting them”? Do we want them to defend themselves and make sure other people know that if they try to take them on, then they’re going to come off worse? I’d much rather have a Police force with more power and leeway so they can prevent crime and create a bit of fear if you decide to get on the wrong side of them. Sure, you shouldn’t be assaulted by, or in fear of, the Police for little or no reason, but if you decide to assault a Police officer, you should expect to take a beating and to come off worse. I’m not saying the Police should be given carte blanche, but they should have a little more freedom to prevent crime. It’s a fine balance, but I think the pendulum has swung too far in the criminal’s direction.

Here in the UK the Police have diminished powers and there are fewer of them than there once was. This creates an ideal environment for people, especially youths, to get away small crimes which cause unnecessary societal challenges, such as the continued rise in theft.

Update: And now rioting on the streets!