Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle is, for those who live outside of the Melbourne municipality and are unaware, a bit of a crank.
Aside from his constant struggle to essentially remove the city’s homeless population from the streets by any means necessary, it turns out Doyle’s opinion on police resources is also a little… troubling.
Speaking with Neil Mitchell on 3AW earlier this morning and speaking in response to the horrific terror attack in Manchester earlier this week, Doyle floated the idea that Victorian Police walking the beat in Melbourne streets should maybe, possibly, potentially be permitted to openly carry assault rifles around.
Because, y’know, that’ll make any jerks think twice about startin’ shit.
Doyle raised the issue of arming frontline police with more firepower, asserting that while it was “not a look I’d particularly enjoy our streets,” he nonetheless suggested that it’s an issue that should be looked at in order to deal with a “changing world.”
“I’m not suggesting that we should; I’m saying we should ask the question … We have to ask questions and say to our police, do you have all you need in a changing world where the threat is probable?”
You ever tried to blow out a candle with a flamethrower, my dude? It’s not a proportional response.
The idea of putting higher powered weaponry on police is so beat cops can respond to potential terrorist situations quickly without having to wait for specialist backup. But empowering entry-level police to go full-Rambo on a potentially extremely dangerous situation conjures up an ocean of its own problems.
For what it’s worth, the usually even-bigger-crank Mitchell was reasonably aghast at the Lord Mayor’s suggestions.
And when Neil Mitchell won’t even back you in, well… Might be time for a reassess, is all.
Source: The Age.
Photo: Wayne Taylor/Getty.
