This is what i like to hear

This is what i like to hear

Our Ex special forces doing something worthwhile :worship:

Clicky

i suppose I'm the only one who finds the idea of 'professional witnesses' a bit off

What, even when it's against Heroin dealers like in that report?

What about if they help nail Paedophiles or rapists?

Why do you?

I just think that every day we edge closer and closer to a police state. The argument is always 'if you've done nothing wrong you've nothing to fear' but there are so many laws now there is nobody who has done nothing wrong.
My fear about professional witnesses is that they are being paid to produce results so they have an incentive to come up with the goods. I imagine this firm are ok and the people who work for them are honest but what if they're not?
What if I decided to target someone and paid for professional witnesses to fit them up. Video evidence can be faked, people can tell lies in court.......

The get paid for surveillance work, not to be a witness. If the surveillance doesn't show anything or catch anyone then they still get paid. They can't fabricate evidence or testimony.

so what are CID/cops doing? hiding inside wearing full body armour incase someone shouts a rude word at them

if they were going up to them and slotting them - fair enough

How is the police force any different?

Standardised training, monitoring and standards.

they're monitoring suspects in the hope of harvesting evidence...

they're no different from security guards.... should all security guards have standardised training, monitoring and stanrds?!?!?!?

yes they most certainly should. They are in a position of trust. Not as much as police obviously.
and who decides who the 'suspect' is. whoever pays them?

"These surveillance experts are professional witnesses." it says

Professional witnesses as in they are providing evidence within the capacity of their profession, in the same manner that doctors are expert witnesses. They're not paid thugs getting bunged a few quid to lie in court.

they are not expert witnesses. you have to be an expert to do that.
how do you know they are not paid thugs? who regulates them? who assesses them?

They're not just testifying 'Yeah we saw that man there selling heroin to children and beating up dogs'.

Why does anyone need to regulate a bunch of (expertly trained) guys secretly fliming a housing estate to gather evidence and make it safer? and as for assessment, I'm sure the courts will assess whether or not the evidence can be submitted if/when anything goes to court.

how do you know they are 'expertly trained'?
and why bother with an expensive police force when we can just pay some randoms to do it instead?

unrest in cumbria

Well they're ex special forces. so I imagine there's a chance they've dabbled in this arena before.

Why not pay them to do it? Saves the police budget.

I imagine their training did not include professional witnessing. Killing and intimidating people however...........