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Comment by Mordisquitos | Hacker News Reader

> Competent police departments maintain a list of common swatting targets.

In other countries, competent police departments simply do not send tactically armed officers to assault homes based on a phone call.

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This seems like an incredibly broad generalisation. It happens even in the UK where (except for Northern Ireland) most officers are not armed with any firearm.

One example of several upon a quick search: https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/armed-police-called-to-...

The description of that incident is not the same as a 'SWATting', but rather the competent way of handling such calls:

> “Officers attended the venue and spoke to the individuals and determined that air weapons were for sale.”

There was no tactical assault. Armed police arrived, spoke to the (mistakenly) targeted individuals, confirmed that it was a mistake, and left.

Sorry, that example seemed to occur in a public venue so isn’t the most relevant.

This one may be more appropriate: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/11238632.armed-police...

At least to a layman not at all versed in firearms, armed police responses in the UK look a lot like SWAT teams in the US and feel similarly intense, but perhaps there are material differences here. I’m genuinely not sure.

Headline notwithstanding, nothing in the article implies the armed police forced their way into the home. Rather, the spokeswoman appears to imply that armed officers were present as a precaution but did not engage, which is consistent with the neighbours' comments.

It's definitely unclear, but there's also no evidence from the article that the armed police were not among the officers that "stormed the address," as the article states. They were also visible outside, and it would be unusual to see police with rifles in the UK (or the US, for that matter) so it makes sense that neighbours noted that, but the article title as you said points in the direction of armed officers raiding the home.

To be clear, my point is not to draw a false equivalence between armed police raids in the UK and the US. I would, however, say that the problem of appropriately responding to a potential armed threat isn't exactly solved in either country, if that's even possible.

Here's yet another example on a quick Google search, if you're still unconvinced that this occurs in the UK: https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-ne...

> "No action will be taken against the occupants of a Hemel Hempstead home that was raided by armed police after a mystery phone call."

> "One witness described armed officers going inside a home shortly before putting two people inside the home in handcuffs and in the back of a police car."

Do you know what SWAT responses entail? It's kick down the door, assault rifles and body armor, shoot if you perceive a threat level response. Police shoot swatting targets sometimes because they have itchy trigger fingers.

It's not a generalisation, it's just the definition of the word 'competent'.

Fair enough, but I suppose the "in other countries" constraint isn't even necessary in that case. :)

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