MovieChat Forums > The Blue Lamp (1951) Discussion > The Cops Back Then (Spoilers)

The Cops Back Then (Spoilers)

posted 13 years ago by BigPerm1974
12 replies | jump to latest

The first cop that got shot PC George Dixon walked right in front of the shooter. Asked the shooter to put the gun down politely. And is shot. After a pretty crazy chase. The Cops surrounds the Shooter and walked towards him again without even drawing there weapons. And politely asked the shooter to put the gun down again. These cops seem very intelligent. But why would they make the same mistake after the killing of PC George Dixon. That would never happen today. It makes a 4 star movie a 3 star movie.

[–] hugh1971 13 years ago

Agreed. When Dixon confronts Bogarde he has no choice but to try to talk him out of it (while rather hopelessly reaching for his truncheon)but the policemen who arrive at the racetrack would definitely have been armed - in those days there were no specialist firearm units but each policestation issued revolvers fairly freely. (See 'Let Him Have It' for what is probably a more accurate view of what happened with armed criminals in those days).

[–] hugh1971 13 years ago

I also think 'operation turnstile' (where all the doors of the stadium are locked) probably wouldn't be allowed today on health and safety grounds!

[–] Charlot47 10 years ago

Since killing cops was almost unknown in 1950s England, why would police expect a suspect to open fire?

[–] JacintoCupboard 9 years ago

Since killing cops was almost unknown in 1950s England, why would police expect a suspect to open fire?

Because, as was said in the OP, the suspect had already shot a policeman, and one well known to them at that.

While I'm here, I got a laugh out of 'Operation Turnstile', as tho stadia had contingency plans for such an event. And even if they did, saying 'lock the gates' is less syllables and emphatically more clear than 'Operation Turnstile'.

[–] John-367 9 years ago

"Operation Turnstile" isn't the most opaque example admittedly, but public venues often use code words for certain situations in case they are overheard by the public.
Theatres for example usually have code words for "fire" so that there isn't a panicked rush for the exits, which can be more dangerous than a fire sometimes, especially if it turns out to be a false alarm or a casual use of the word.

[–] franzkabuki 9 years ago

But why did the original cop, Dixon, not have his gun drawn in the first place? The way he handled the situation, looked like he had a death wish or something - proceeding empty handed and closing the suspect down to the point where he literally 'had to' shoot in order to get past the fuzz.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] John-367 9 years ago

Most British Police officers don't routinely carry guns - and even less so in 1950.

[–] spookyrat1 8 years ago

Absolutely! Dixon wasn't armed and I doubt whether many, (if any at all) of the cops at the track were. In 1950 it was a rare thing. This is one of the reasons in the movie, a lot of the shady characters are sympathetic to the police cause, in attempting to apprehend Riley.🐭

[–] DBloodnok 8 years ago

Firearms were far more prevalent amongst British police officers at the time. Whereas nowadays only highly qualified police officers carry firearms, before a rash of police shooting in the 1980s a station sergeant could issue firearms to any police officer with a firearms qualification. Each police station would have had its own small armoury. Indeed, during the Second World War, each police station was issued a number of First World War vintage rifles to be used by police officers in the event of a German invasion.

"Someone has been tampering with Hank's memories."

[–] spookyrat1 7 years ago

Firearms were far more prevalent amongst British police officers at the time.

Simply not true.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_firearms_in_the_United_Kingdom

Police use of firearms in Great Britain has been tightly limited ...

In Great Britain during the Second World War, firearms were only carried while protecting 10 Downing Street and the Royal Family ...

They were never taken on general patrol, partly because a revolver was usually issued without a holster, as holsters were in short supply because of the war.

Yes, the stations of the time may have had a post WW2 weapons cache, but that is irrelevant as the question asked in the thread is why were the bobbies on the beat unarmed. 🐭

[–] DBloodnok 7 years ago

Interestingly, the link (and thanks for linking, some useful information there) notes that 17% of officers in the Metropolitan Police were authorised to use firearms in the late 60s (after the infamous of murder of three officers in Shepherd's Bush), compared with only 7% in 2005. Of course, percentages can give a skewed picture. Today, the Met has 2,122 Authorised Firearms Officers, out of 31,478 officers (I make that 7%). Sadly, the link doesn't go into any greater detail. The point I was hoping to make was that police access to firearms was far greater, even in the golden age of Dixon-type policing in the 1950s. Whereas today firearms units are highly specialised, before the 1980s any desk sergeant could issue revolvers to any trained officer. Certain squads, such as Regional Crime or the Flying Squad, would be habitually armed. I'm afraid that without doing a lot of research it's difficult to establish how many times police were issued - or used - firearms in the comparative periods of the 1940s/1950s and today. Regardless, it's very good that firearms are, and always have been, such a comparative rarity in British policing. I always thought it odd that, in The Blue Lamp, when Bogarde is cornered that armed officers weren't dispatched. He has already murdered one police officer and would undoubtedly face the gallows - he couldn't be hanged twice for shooting another police officer.

"Someone has been tampering with Hank's memories."

[–] Squeeth2 7 years ago

Perhaps there is myth as well as melodrama in the film.

Marlon, Claudia & Dimby the cats 1989-2010. Clio the cat, July 1997 - 1 May 2016.