from: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24502575-952,00.html
IPSWICH City Council will set up portable security cameras with built-in loudspeakers that can warn hoons to think twice before they cause trouble.
The cutting-edge cameras can be set up anywhere to keep an eye on hot spots.
Mayor Paul Pisasale said it was community policing at its best.
"This is about trying to take control of our city," he said.
"A small percentage of people are doing the wrong thing- but we are not going to let these morons get to us.
"If operators see some kids hanging around and think they might be up to no good, they can warn them off, saying: 'Son, I wouldn't do that'," he said.
The cameras will be set up in response to complaints from residents about problems including hoons, vandals, thieves and muggers.
Images are monitored round-the-clock and can be immediately sent to police computers, enabling them to respond to trouble in record time.
The technology has even impressed experts at Britain's Scotland Yard, who described it as "world class".
Three cameras, costing Ipswich $60,000 all up, were bought after a successful trial.
They are the latest addition to the city's army of 160 "Big Brother-style" security cameras, which have reduced crime in Ipswich by 80 per cent in the past five years.
The council runs its "Safe City" camera initiative in partnership with the police and the State Government, at a cost of $840,000 a year.
Cr Pisasale said the city was moving forward.
"This is not about Big Brother spying on law-abiding citizens," he said. "This is about telling the morons who cause civic damage and destruction that they are not welcome in our city."
Umm, okay, three mobile cameras that are going to be set up in trouble spots to WARN possible offenders not to offend.
Mmm, so what's to stop the potential offenders from moving to somewhere where the cameras aren't? ...
Potential offender: "Shall we spray paint this wall?"
VFTS (voice from the sky): "Son, I wouldn't do that!"
Potential offender to mates: "Okay so that's one camera let's go find the other two!"
OR what's to stop them ignoring the VFTS completely?
AND how do you know that someone is "preparing" to mug someone anyway?
VFTS: "Hey, pedestrian in the brown coat please keep your distance from the lady with the pram - we ARE watching you."
AND if the current 160 cameras have already reduced crime by 80% one wouldn't have thought there would be much more to worry about ....
One of the commentators on the original post suggested the following:
I have an alternative solution. Arm the cameras with rifles. If anyone is seen vandalising property, assaulting a person etc., open fire on them. No warning. No left-wing, do-gooder excuses. After a few examples, the crime rate would be close to zero.
Posted by: Naden S of Perth 10:48am today
Now if this was done I could see the benefit of the cameras :)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
That's One Way of Saying It ....
just read the following on Baldilocks and thought it illustrated beautifully the situation that many "realists" find themselves in today ...
The Twisting
Another One-Act Play
******
He: The sky is blue.
She: No it’s not, it’s plaid.
He: Why are you saying that?
She: Because that the way I see it.
He: But it is the color that has been historically called blue.
She: I don’t see it that way.
... read the whole thing ...
The Twisting
Another One-Act Play
******
He: The sky is blue.
She: No it’s not, it’s plaid.
He: Why are you saying that?
She: Because that the way I see it.
He: But it is the color that has been historically called blue.
She: I don’t see it that way.
... read the whole thing ...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Today's Range Report #2
Reloaded 100 rounds last night with 4.0 grains - no problems at all with the primer feeding or seating so it went very smoothly.
Shot the stages at the range today. They had modified it from yesterday's shoot - so today ended up having 5 stages some were quite challenging.
I messed up the second stage majorily. It was start seated at a table, with loaded gun & all mags on the table. On signal, engage the 6 targets in any order with one shot, then reload and engage the targets again with another shot. I shot the first three targets two shots each before my brain kicked into gear ... ooops :) There goes three "procedurals" :)
One of the other stages had a "start facing up range, unloaded & holstered ... on signal engage all targets in any order 2 shots each". I've not done a "facing up range" one before ... so I was just hoping to get through the stage with out being disqualified .. which I managed (and I hit all the targets and missed the "no shoots" so was happy).
My times are awful but my accuracy isn't bad (no "no shoots" at all for the day and I think only 1 miss). The majority of my shots are hitting the "A" zone.
The gun performed well most of the time. Had a couple of "stovepipes" which the RO reckoned was due more to me not holding the gun firmly enough more than anything else and I think he was right. I also managed to get a case down my front ... ouch!
Definitely more practice needed.
Next week is a "trophy shoot" not sure if I will go up on the Saturday or Sunday yet.
Now off to the zoo with the family ...
Shot the stages at the range today. They had modified it from yesterday's shoot - so today ended up having 5 stages some were quite challenging.
I messed up the second stage majorily. It was start seated at a table, with loaded gun & all mags on the table. On signal, engage the 6 targets in any order with one shot, then reload and engage the targets again with another shot. I shot the first three targets two shots each before my brain kicked into gear ... ooops :) There goes three "procedurals" :)
One of the other stages had a "start facing up range, unloaded & holstered ... on signal engage all targets in any order 2 shots each". I've not done a "facing up range" one before ... so I was just hoping to get through the stage with out being disqualified .. which I managed (and I hit all the targets and missed the "no shoots" so was happy).
My times are awful but my accuracy isn't bad (no "no shoots" at all for the day and I think only 1 miss). The majority of my shots are hitting the "A" zone.
The gun performed well most of the time. Had a couple of "stovepipes" which the RO reckoned was due more to me not holding the gun firmly enough more than anything else and I think he was right. I also managed to get a case down my front ... ouch!
Definitely more practice needed.
Next week is a "trophy shoot" not sure if I will go up on the Saturday or Sunday yet.
Now off to the zoo with the family ...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Today's Range Report #1
Very profitable time at the range today.
My friend fitted the new recoil spring for me (and firing pin spring) (yes, I can do it, but I was doing something else at the time). He didn't fit the mag well due to time constraints.
Anyway went up the range, I decided not to shoot with the regular squads but just give the gun a workout to see how it goes.
My friend fired first and the first round failed to eject. But from then on the gun worked perfectly. For both him and me. I used my reloaded rounds and the Chip McCormick mags and everything just came together.
He then mentioned that he thought I wasn't holding the gun firmly enough, so we worked on that for a bit and holding the gun firmer made a HUGE difference with the amount of recoil I was experiencing.
I also need to work on my draws to ensure that I get the gun correctly into my hand each and every time. I have a Blackhawk Serpa holster with a "release" lever which helps with the draw but sometimes I get the beaver tail just off centre.
We then shot a stage which wasn't being used by the other squads at the time, there were 4 boxes and 5 targets. From the first box - one shot to each target freestyle; second box - one shot to each target kneeling; third box - one shot to each target strong hand and fourth box - one shot to each target weak hand. (With a mandatory reload between each box). I had problems with the gun ejecting when I shot weak hand only - but I know that I wasn't holding it firmly enough. The first time I shot the stage my time from signal to first shot was about 3.5secs. We did a bit of practice on this and I managed to get the time down to around 2.5secs.
There is so much to remember and work on with IPSC style shooting - I'm hoping some of it becomes automatic soon :)
If all goes smoothly I will go back to the range tomorrow and actually shoot the stages - will have to do some reloading tonight.
My friend fitted the new recoil spring for me (and firing pin spring) (yes, I can do it, but I was doing something else at the time). He didn't fit the mag well due to time constraints.
Anyway went up the range, I decided not to shoot with the regular squads but just give the gun a workout to see how it goes.
My friend fired first and the first round failed to eject. But from then on the gun worked perfectly. For both him and me. I used my reloaded rounds and the Chip McCormick mags and everything just came together.
He then mentioned that he thought I wasn't holding the gun firmly enough, so we worked on that for a bit and holding the gun firmer made a HUGE difference with the amount of recoil I was experiencing.
I also need to work on my draws to ensure that I get the gun correctly into my hand each and every time. I have a Blackhawk Serpa holster with a "release" lever which helps with the draw but sometimes I get the beaver tail just off centre.
We then shot a stage which wasn't being used by the other squads at the time, there were 4 boxes and 5 targets. From the first box - one shot to each target freestyle; second box - one shot to each target kneeling; third box - one shot to each target strong hand and fourth box - one shot to each target weak hand. (With a mandatory reload between each box). I had problems with the gun ejecting when I shot weak hand only - but I know that I wasn't holding it firmly enough. The first time I shot the stage my time from signal to first shot was about 3.5secs. We did a bit of practice on this and I managed to get the time down to around 2.5secs.
There is so much to remember and work on with IPSC style shooting - I'm hoping some of it becomes automatic soon :)
If all goes smoothly I will go back to the range tomorrow and actually shoot the stages - will have to do some reloading tonight.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Things I Didn't Know About a Glock
mmm ...
1) didn't know that Glocks come in 0.04 calibre and
2) where's the safety latch?
he was at least fined and a conviction was recorded.
from http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24474536-2761,00.html
Policeman fined for pointing gun at colleagues
A POLICEMAN in Perth's rail unit has been fined $2000 for pointing his loaded police-issued pistol at colleagues on two occasions.Sen-Constable Clifford Harold Warner, 37, faced three years’ jail and a maximum $12,000 fine after today pleading guilty to two counts of pointing a firearm at another person.
Police laid the charges against the now stood-down father-of-two under the Firearms Act following a complaint.
The Perth Magistrates Court today heard that on August 11 this year Sen-Constable Warner took out his holstered 0.04 calibre Glock pistol and aimed it a female constable while at the Rail Unit office at Perth Station.
Two days later, he again pointed his loaded weapon at a male officer for a few seconds in front of five or six others while having a meal at the end of a shift.
There were no threats of violence and his finger was not near the safety latch but he was stood down by the force on August 15.
The court heard that his actions were treated as a "joke", with the policeman who was aimed at giving Sen-Constable Warner an "expletive" then saying, "Geez, your barrel needs a bit of a clean."
Defence lawyer Michael Judd said his client was "greatly embarrassed" and remorseful at his actions but he did not have any recollection of the first incident with the female constable, which was only reported after the August 13 incident.
Mr Judd said the unit team were good friends and worked as a close-knit group.
"It is in this pressure cooker environment that this kind of tomfoolery can occur," he said.
Magistrate Wayne Tarr told Sen-Constable Warner that as a police officer he should have known better than to "skylark with a firearm".
"I just can’t understand what was going through your mind when you took your firearm out and pointed it at a colleague," Magistrate Tarr said.
"With the training that you are provided you must have known it was fraught with danger."
Magistrate Tarr fined him $1000 for each count and rejected a defence plea for a spent conviction, which would have removed the conviction from his criminal record.
1) didn't know that Glocks come in 0.04 calibre and
2) where's the safety latch?
he was at least fined and a conviction was recorded.
from http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24474536-2761,00.html
Policeman fined for pointing gun at colleagues
Todd Cardy, court reporter
October 10, 2008 11:57amA POLICEMAN in Perth's rail unit has been fined $2000 for pointing his loaded police-issued pistol at colleagues on two occasions.Sen-Constable Clifford Harold Warner, 37, faced three years’ jail and a maximum $12,000 fine after today pleading guilty to two counts of pointing a firearm at another person.
Police laid the charges against the now stood-down father-of-two under the Firearms Act following a complaint.
The Perth Magistrates Court today heard that on August 11 this year Sen-Constable Warner took out his holstered 0.04 calibre Glock pistol and aimed it a female constable while at the Rail Unit office at Perth Station.
Two days later, he again pointed his loaded weapon at a male officer for a few seconds in front of five or six others while having a meal at the end of a shift.
There were no threats of violence and his finger was not near the safety latch but he was stood down by the force on August 15.
The court heard that his actions were treated as a "joke", with the policeman who was aimed at giving Sen-Constable Warner an "expletive" then saying, "Geez, your barrel needs a bit of a clean."
Defence lawyer Michael Judd said his client was "greatly embarrassed" and remorseful at his actions but he did not have any recollection of the first incident with the female constable, which was only reported after the August 13 incident.
Mr Judd said the unit team were good friends and worked as a close-knit group.
"It is in this pressure cooker environment that this kind of tomfoolery can occur," he said.
Magistrate Wayne Tarr told Sen-Constable Warner that as a police officer he should have known better than to "skylark with a firearm".
"I just can’t understand what was going through your mind when you took your firearm out and pointed it at a colleague," Magistrate Tarr said.
"With the training that you are provided you must have known it was fraught with danger."
Magistrate Tarr fined him $1000 for each count and rejected a defence plea for a spent conviction, which would have removed the conviction from his criminal record.
A Meme
I just got tagged with a meme ....
What were you doing 2, 5, 10 and 15 years ago ....
Here's my answers:
2 years.......worked pretty much 7 days a week 15 hours a day - stoopid, stoopid, stoopid girl... something not to be repeated!
5 years.... had DD2, dealing with a new baby in the NICU unit and a 2y.o. toddler was challenging. Thankfully bub wasn't in there long, but then she spent around 10days under lights due to jaundice .. boy, don't they grow fast.
10 years ...working in a job with a boss who didn't pull his weight or support me and my colleague - we both ended up resigning on the same day - good decision!
15 years ... traveling & working in Europe .. i think in 1993 I was working in a drug rehab in Germany ... great experience ... so glad i did it ....
and now, you're tagged ... leave your answers in comments ....
What were you doing 2, 5, 10 and 15 years ago ....
Here's my answers:
2 years.......worked pretty much 7 days a week 15 hours a day - stoopid, stoopid, stoopid girl... something not to be repeated!
5 years.... had DD2, dealing with a new baby in the NICU unit and a 2y.o. toddler was challenging. Thankfully bub wasn't in there long, but then she spent around 10days under lights due to jaundice .. boy, don't they grow fast.
10 years ...working in a job with a boss who didn't pull his weight or support me and my colleague - we both ended up resigning on the same day - good decision!
15 years ... traveling & working in Europe .. i think in 1993 I was working in a drug rehab in Germany ... great experience ... so glad i did it ....
and now, you're tagged ... leave your answers in comments ....
Gun Stuff
I have a Springfield Armory 1911 9mm pistol which takes 9 round mags, this puts me at a slight disadvantage in IPSC, where everyone else is shooting 10 round mags. (Australia's firearms legislation limits mags to 10 rounds).
To get around this problem I purchased and use Chip McCormick 38super 10 round mags. These fit fine in my gun, but I did have some feed problems when I started using them. To solve this problem I have reloaded my rounds slightly longer (as per various articles on the web) and now they feed fine.
However, I am now having ejecting problems. Not sure if it is due to under-powered loads, too heavy recoil spring or bad technique on my part. The ejecting problems are reduced when I use 3.8 to 3.9 grains of AP70N powder (with a 125 lead projectile) but they still happen.
So today I purchased another recoil spring (Wolff 16.5lb) and will give that a go in the gun tomorrow. Unfortunately I do not know what the weight of the current recoil spring is (and I couldn't find the information when I did some searching earlier). I'm hoping this spring is lighter, or if not, I will get a friend to help me cut it down.
Will report after the range trip tomorrow. I'm not sure if I will shoot an IPSC match tomorrow or just monkey around with the gun. Hopefully my new mag well will also go on the gun tomorrow as I am interested to see how that will improve my mag changes.
To get around this problem I purchased and use Chip McCormick 38super 10 round mags. These fit fine in my gun, but I did have some feed problems when I started using them. To solve this problem I have reloaded my rounds slightly longer (as per various articles on the web) and now they feed fine.
However, I am now having ejecting problems. Not sure if it is due to under-powered loads, too heavy recoil spring or bad technique on my part. The ejecting problems are reduced when I use 3.8 to 3.9 grains of AP70N powder (with a 125 lead projectile) but they still happen.
So today I purchased another recoil spring (Wolff 16.5lb) and will give that a go in the gun tomorrow. Unfortunately I do not know what the weight of the current recoil spring is (and I couldn't find the information when I did some searching earlier). I'm hoping this spring is lighter, or if not, I will get a friend to help me cut it down.
Will report after the range trip tomorrow. I'm not sure if I will shoot an IPSC match tomorrow or just monkey around with the gun. Hopefully my new mag well will also go on the gun tomorrow as I am interested to see how that will improve my mag changes.
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