Police storm apartment as man held hostage in Belgium
Robert-Jan Bartunek

BRUSSELS: Belgian armed police stormed an apartment in the western city of Ghent on Monday to end a siege after reports that gunmen had taken a hostage.

The victim was safe and well and three other men had been detained, a spokeswoman for state prosecutors said.

"Three men have been taken away though there were no weapons found. The earlier reports were of four men with kalashnikovs," she said. "...It's not entirely clear whether someone was in fact taken hostage."

Armed police in balaclavas emerged at about 1 p.m from the cordoned-off building in the Dampoort district.

"It's over," one police officer said.

Belgian broadcaster VRT cited neighbours as saying that the flat had been used by drug dealers.

Full story: http://www.theage.com.au/world/police-storm-apartment-as-man-held-hostage-in-belgium-20141215-127se1.html


-- The Age 2014-12-16

.It's not entirely clear whether someone was in fact taken hostage."

do they use Thai police in Belgium too?

.It's not entirely clear whether someone was in fact taken hostage."

do they use Thai police in Belgium too?

When it comes to the ridiculous, the Euro - farang Police are miles ahead of Thai Police.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/oct/17/police-taser-blind-man-stick

Police Taser blind man mistaking his white stick for a samurai sword

An innocent blind man was shot in the back with a 50,000-volt Taser by police after they mistook his white stick for a samurai sword.

Colin Farmer, 61, was hit after reports of a man walking through Chorley, Lancashire, early on Friday evening, with a sword. He said he initially thought he was being attacked by hooligans when he was struck by the Taser.

Farmer, who has suffered two strokes, the most recent requiring two months in hospital in March, was fearful he would suffer another stroke.

"I walk at a snail's pace. They could have walked past me, driven past me in a van or said 'drop your weapon'."

The matter is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) after Farmer made a complaint to the force.

Edited December 16, 201411 yr by Suradit69

Probably cosplay ...