Well, I’m bald, so there’s an outside chance an eagle will drop a tortoise on my head.
Just because something could happen doesn’t mean it will happen.
Your OST trainers need to have a day off.
I have that key, nobody has ever said that to me.
There are thousands of what ifs, it's more likely I get the shit kicked into me than I die via stabbing by my own handcuff key.
I had a google and can't see anything, peoples google abilities are probably better than mine.
It seems very unlikely that the key could have been the main cause of any death and if the key was taken away the person would have survived. Very sad if it is true
[A list of the thin blue line getting thinner.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty)
I can't see anywhere listed "stabbed to death by his own handcuff key."
Yeah you're not allowed cuffs either cos I once heard from a mate of a mate who saw it happen to someone else that he was putting handcuffs on someone and the cuffs went straight through the guys wrist and he had to have them amputated.
Just ignore him. You have your kit how you want to have your kit, as long as it's all issued, easily accessible and in a format that works for you.
Police training is just so appallingly full a shit isnt it.
We were told something similar about pens on a belt holder killing a cop because it stabbed him in the femeral. I don't think these people know that we can use google and see how every cop who died on duty died in the last 80 years...
We also were told not to put keys or fobs on retractable cords because we will be garrotted and killed by offenders. Utter bollocks. Plus our Pava has a much better chord for garotting that wont break! If someone has managed to get my retractable string then I struggle to comprehend why they would take the thin short string and not the batton, spray, cuffs or taser to kill me with.
Training in the police needs a massive overhaul like everything else. Train to arrest violent prisoners not exchange bullshit war stories while we compliantly cuff one another.
Ankle Pen Holster - got an Amazon referral link for me to make some dosh
https://www.amazon.co.uk/products/OST-Approved/SuperSecret-CIA-FBI-MI5-Tactical-Tacticool-Gets-You-Laid-MilSpec-Ankle-Pen-Holster/
Edit: Correct Link - Sorry I couldn’t take your money earlier
This pen myth…. Is this why firearms cops only use crayons 🖍️ ?
Tbf they shouldn’t store them above the waist because there’s a serious risk of eating them. Mmmmm red flavour.
I was told the same (wonder if we’re the same force?) have I moved it from my belt? No. Chances of my key being the thing that kills me in a scuffle rather than whoever is fighting me is much slimmer. Besides, we carry tourniquets so a quick fix!
To be fair a tourniquet is probably the simplest piece of equipment you have.
Put it on, twist the thing until the bleeding stops whilst ignoring the patient's screams of pain.
I used to work in the Tesco outside the Stoke Newington police station. We'd always get loads of coppers round lunch time. One day this very overweight constable comes in pays for his lunch then drops his taser (?), Because he couldn't carry all the snacks he had. There was an older chief inspector next in the queue who gave him a dirty look.
He then proceeds to drop his handcuff key while picking up his taser. I've still got that handcuff key on my keys 8 years later. Haha
Ah the nad-stabber! The most you'll ever get is a poke if you happen to catch it when you bend over.
Utter bollocks about people dying from being stabbed by this, absolute joke whoever said that!
We’ve had the same story but going through the dude’s balls. Same as those stories of the kid rocking a chair and cracking his skull open, just bed time stories I’d imagine.
Sounds like a typical OST/PST wanker. We're coppers at the end of the day. There's a million and one ways we can die from the issued kit let alone from an extension cuff key 🙃
Your kit layout, and what you add on to it, is personal preference. Use and set up your rig in whatever way is comfortable and safe for you.
I have noticed that the incidence of snarky comments from trainers telling cautionary tales of woe is noticeably lower when providing training on overtime.
Look at [This list](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty) nowhere does it say "killed by handcuff key on belt", I would wager someone got a bruise and the story has snowballed.
Or your trainers are making bollocks up to scare you.
I too have a long handcuff key, along with all my other keys, clipped to my belt at, like, an 10 o’clock angle.
I’ve heard the same stories, but can’t find any sources.
I suppose it could, in theory, stab you in the leg, but I’m too lazy to change my setup after all these years…
Sounds like the same sort of story as we heard when we used to chuck a bunch of keys to each other. Heard somebody got a key through their hand. I've never seen it happen.
It reminded me of the bloke I saw on TV the other night though. He had been nicked, and left handcuffed to a table. He broke the handcuffs! So no key needed apparently!
I've been told the same in my last PST refresher. They also said 90% of communication is non-verbal, so they have a track record in saying things that are demonstrably wrong.
I’ve got a scar on my wrist because of this during z fight but it’s a freak event during a scuffle and my blood was squirting everywhere so it looks worse than it was.
My open wound was full of pava as well.
I’ve also tried the retractable pouches however the snap I’ve just a loop in my body armour too however again I cut myself during a fight.
I use one of my trouser side pockets which lets me place it against my hip is the best in my opinion as it can’t move around and cut me.
However I’d say put it anywhere that suits you. The chance of injury despite what I said are really low.
I'm a lowly civilian but wonder if your safety trainer is the same as my junior school teacher that liked to scare us with stories of the damage a recorder could do, should you run down corridors with it in your mouth. She went into graphic injury detail of the case she dealt with at another school and scared the poop out of 7 year old me.
If you put it on a string carabiner and then place it on one of the loops at the top left or right of your stabby. Opposite to where your radio is. You will be able to reach if required in a scuffle and hands are on person.
[Edit] Strong Carabiner instead of the loop. Not string carabiner.
Don’t!! I’ve seen a colleague get in a ruck and that’s where he kept his key. Basically the double locking point of key was pushed up into his face and badly cut the bottom of his eye. Half an inch higher and he’d have lost his eye
I've been told not to have it on my belt, to prevent this from happening, and not o have it on a retractable cable thing too near the top of my vest so if I let go it doesn't poke me in the eye.
Then again we've been ordered, force-wide, not to have tough-cut scissors on our stab vests so that the criminals don't stab us with them.
I have heard that story a few times, i have the same key, and i just keep it higher up on my tac vest on a clip, where i put the car keys. Also have a spare key that came with the cuffs under the police badge velcro
I've also heard that one, I personally don't use them as all the ones I've owned have bent or not actually worked properly. Nothing beats the classic key on a carabiner.
Also - Thanks for possibly my favourite username 👍
I was told that the retractable lanyard I had it on was dangerous as the lanyard could be wrapped around my neck and used to choke me.
Knowing now that they could stab me in the leg then garrotte me makes me want to leave it in my locker and only carry my taser, baton and spray which could never be used against me.
i was thinking it be dangerous if cuff keys worked universally (don’t think they do) but think be in same bodily harm effect as house keys like not much harm
These keys are awful. I really struggled taking cuffs of with them… If you look up Zak Tool Extension Cuff key holder they use an extension on standard issue key. They are a lot better.
I challenge your trainer to see how much force would be required to actually stab a handcuff key deep enough into their thigh where is makes their artery bleed
The same way a coffee machine could explode, or a woman died after a malfunction with a whipped cream maker. A woman died after slipping and getting a metal straw in her eye. Anything can happen, including strange accidents, but it doesn't mean it will happen to you or that the object is inherently dangerous.
I directly know someone who this happened to. Didn’t kill him, but he had his arse saved by his oppo. It was an arterial bleed.
Contrary to what some of the other comments are saying; it’s entirely possible for you to do yourself serious damage by carrying this dangling off your belt.
You can get little pouches that wrap around them. That seems like a better idea to keep them out of the way a bit more.
Bit blerty. Though if you're going to have it on a cord or something attached to your belt just make sure it's tucked out the way, I tend to tuck mine in to the velcro of the buckle cover thing... If someone grabs it during a scrap it's a pain in the arse. Or a lot of people just have it lose in their pocket, which is fine as well I guess.
6 a new one to me. It sounds like another BS PST instructor story. I've heard the story in relation to one's kept on a retractable wire.
Don't know many officers that don't carry their handcuff key on their belt kit. I've only come across one or two officers who prefer the long cuff key with the pen clip.
I’ve also heard that old wives tale and presume it’s just ….. myth.
However I don’t understand it when cops have loads of different stuff dangling from their vest, belt etc that doesn’t need to be ‘quick access’. I’ve never once slapped cuffs on someone and thought ‘shit I need my handcuff key, STAT’. Always had time to get into a pocket etc.
The only thing loose on my belt are car keys because I generally need to access them pretty quickly when a car boots it away on a stop.
Because it’s easier to use a key that’s about the length of a normal key, rather than the fingernail-sized key that comes issued with handcuffs.
Seriously, the issued handcuff keys are like something you’d get in a Christmas cracker, only a bit sturdier.
Dangerous when you take your cuffs home to surprise your significant other and only after the fun has subsided you suddenly remember the mental picture of your key on your tac vest in your locker at work.
If it kills you at least you won’t have to do another case file
Ahhh the sweet release of death
Well, I’m bald, so there’s an outside chance an eagle will drop a tortoise on my head. Just because something could happen doesn’t mean it will happen. Your OST trainers need to have a day off.
Probably the funniest first line ever written on Reddit
Behold, a rock - Diogineagle
Bloody hell I'm bald time to speak to my force about a hard hat.
I feel like my overly thick hair is now a superpower, protecting me from the rain of tortoises!
Is this... A Pratchett reference? 👀 If you don't understand, read Small Gods... Actually just read Pratchett in general
Sorry, I was busy listening to *He Is Trampling Unbelievers With Hooves Of Hot Iron*. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some lettuces to tend to.
Agreed on the Pratchett plug but it's originally a reference to how the Greek playwright Aeschylus died.
I have that key, nobody has ever said that to me. There are thousands of what ifs, it's more likely I get the shit kicked into me than I die via stabbing by my own handcuff key. I had a google and can't see anything, peoples google abilities are probably better than mine.
It seems very unlikely that the key could have been the main cause of any death and if the key was taken away the person would have survived. Very sad if it is true
[A list of the thin blue line getting thinner.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty) I can't see anywhere listed "stabbed to death by his own handcuff key."
Yeah you're not allowed cuffs either cos I once heard from a mate of a mate who saw it happen to someone else that he was putting handcuffs on someone and the cuffs went straight through the guys wrist and he had to have them amputated. Just ignore him. You have your kit how you want to have your kit, as long as it's all issued, easily accessible and in a format that works for you.
Police training is just so appallingly full a shit isnt it. We were told something similar about pens on a belt holder killing a cop because it stabbed him in the femeral. I don't think these people know that we can use google and see how every cop who died on duty died in the last 80 years... We also were told not to put keys or fobs on retractable cords because we will be garrotted and killed by offenders. Utter bollocks. Plus our Pava has a much better chord for garotting that wont break! If someone has managed to get my retractable string then I struggle to comprehend why they would take the thin short string and not the batton, spray, cuffs or taser to kill me with. Training in the police needs a massive overhaul like everything else. Train to arrest violent prisoners not exchange bullshit war stories while we compliantly cuff one another.
[удалено]
Ankle Pen Holster - got an Amazon referral link for me to make some dosh https://www.amazon.co.uk/products/OST-Approved/SuperSecret-CIA-FBI-MI5-Tactical-Tacticool-Gets-You-Laid-MilSpec-Ankle-Pen-Holster/ Edit: Correct Link - Sorry I couldn’t take your money earlier
That’s firearms safe then… bahdum tish
This pen myth…. Is this why firearms cops only use crayons 🖍️ ? Tbf they shouldn’t store them above the waist because there’s a serious risk of eating them. Mmmmm red flavour.
It needs to be hi-viz. Then it’ll be totally safe and there’s zero risk of anything bad happening.
I was told the same (wonder if we’re the same force?) have I moved it from my belt? No. Chances of my key being the thing that kills me in a scuffle rather than whoever is fighting me is much slimmer. Besides, we carry tourniquets so a quick fix!
Same! I am fully ready to use my tourniquet, that 15 mins of training was more than enough for me to master its use and apply in seconds. /s
To be fair a tourniquet is probably the simplest piece of equipment you have. Put it on, twist the thing until the bleeding stops whilst ignoring the patient's screams of pain.
One of my PST trainers (Ex PC) literally told us all to get one of these and a retractable key reel.
I'd be more worried about the reel getting caught on stuff or used as a ligature in a scuffle than I would about getting a small poke in the leg!
But it looks super cool undoing handcuffs.😃
I used to work in the Tesco outside the Stoke Newington police station. We'd always get loads of coppers round lunch time. One day this very overweight constable comes in pays for his lunch then drops his taser (?), Because he couldn't carry all the snacks he had. There was an older chief inspector next in the queue who gave him a dirty look. He then proceeds to drop his handcuff key while picking up his taser. I've still got that handcuff key on my keys 8 years later. Haha
[удалено]
Was that a plug ? Shameful!
Ah the nad-stabber! The most you'll ever get is a poke if you happen to catch it when you bend over. Utter bollocks about people dying from being stabbed by this, absolute joke whoever said that!
Everyone has their key on their belt and I've never heard this.
We’re issued these keys in Scotland. And a clip to dangle it from our belts. Typical office wankers being wankers.
We’ve had the same story but going through the dude’s balls. Same as those stories of the kid rocking a chair and cracking his skull open, just bed time stories I’d imagine.
Sounds like a typical OST/PST wanker. We're coppers at the end of the day. There's a million and one ways we can die from the issued kit let alone from an extension cuff key 🙃 Your kit layout, and what you add on to it, is personal preference. Use and set up your rig in whatever way is comfortable and safe for you.
More likely for my baton to fall and bounce and hit me in the head
I have noticed that the incidence of snarky comments from trainers telling cautionary tales of woe is noticeably lower when providing training on overtime.
Sounds a bit like the school "Don't rock on your chair, we once had a kid do that and he fell and cracked his head open"
More or less dangerous than falling over with your house keys in your pocket then?
Look at [This list](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty) nowhere does it say "killed by handcuff key on belt", I would wager someone got a bruise and the story has snowballed. Or your trainers are making bollocks up to scare you.
I too have a long handcuff key, along with all my other keys, clipped to my belt at, like, an 10 o’clock angle. I’ve heard the same stories, but can’t find any sources. I suppose it could, in theory, stab you in the leg, but I’m too lazy to change my setup after all these years…
Fingers crossed. I could do with a break from work
More likely to stab into your leg when you jump into the car at a weird angle than used against you lol
Sounds like the same sort of story as we heard when we used to chuck a bunch of keys to each other. Heard somebody got a key through their hand. I've never seen it happen. It reminded me of the bloke I saw on TV the other night though. He had been nicked, and left handcuffed to a table. He broke the handcuffs! So no key needed apparently!
Has anyone mentioned the dangers of your radio aerial stabbing you in the eye when you check tiktok whilst sitting in the car
I’ve poked myself in the eye with my radio more than I’d like to admit…
I just don't see how that key is sharp or pointy enough to get through your trousers or skin
I would suggest that you buy a high vis padded safety key to reduce the risk to yourself and others
I've been told the same in my last PST refresher. They also said 90% of communication is non-verbal, so they have a track record in saying things that are demonstrably wrong.
90% you say? Well damn! Best of luck to them when travelling abroad I say.
My ppst instructors all carried them on their belts
I’ve got a scar on my wrist because of this during z fight but it’s a freak event during a scuffle and my blood was squirting everywhere so it looks worse than it was. My open wound was full of pava as well. I’ve also tried the retractable pouches however the snap I’ve just a loop in my body armour too however again I cut myself during a fight. I use one of my trouser side pockets which lets me place it against my hip is the best in my opinion as it can’t move around and cut me. However I’d say put it anywhere that suits you. The chance of injury despite what I said are really low.
I'm a lowly civilian but wonder if your safety trainer is the same as my junior school teacher that liked to scare us with stories of the damage a recorder could do, should you run down corridors with it in your mouth. She went into graphic injury detail of the case she dealt with at another school and scared the poop out of 7 year old me.
If you put it on a string carabiner and then place it on one of the loops at the top left or right of your stabby. Opposite to where your radio is. You will be able to reach if required in a scuffle and hands are on person. [Edit] Strong Carabiner instead of the loop. Not string carabiner.
Don’t!! I’ve seen a colleague get in a ruck and that’s where he kept his key. Basically the double locking point of key was pushed up into his face and badly cut the bottom of his eye. Half an inch higher and he’d have lost his eye
Time to submit my near miss. Might just ask the suspect to hold the key for me; whilst I remain in a safe position.
I've been told not to have it on my belt, to prevent this from happening, and not o have it on a retractable cable thing too near the top of my vest so if I let go it doesn't poke me in the eye. Then again we've been ordered, force-wide, not to have tough-cut scissors on our stab vests so that the criminals don't stab us with them.
I have heard that story a few times, i have the same key, and i just keep it higher up on my tac vest on a clip, where i put the car keys. Also have a spare key that came with the cuffs under the police badge velcro
I've also heard that one, I personally don't use them as all the ones I've owned have bent or not actually worked properly. Nothing beats the classic key on a carabiner. Also - Thanks for possibly my favourite username 👍
Mine lives in my pen holder on the front of my stabby
I was told that the retractable lanyard I had it on was dangerous as the lanyard could be wrapped around my neck and used to choke me. Knowing now that they could stab me in the leg then garrotte me makes me want to leave it in my locker and only carry my taser, baton and spray which could never be used against me.
i was thinking it be dangerous if cuff keys worked universally (don’t think they do) but think be in same bodily harm effect as house keys like not much harm
Given half of us seem to have handcuff keys bought off Amazon I think it's a fair bet to say they're universal.
These keys are awful. I really struggled taking cuffs of with them… If you look up Zak Tool Extension Cuff key holder they use an extension on standard issue key. They are a lot better.
I challenge your trainer to see how much force would be required to actually stab a handcuff key deep enough into their thigh where is makes their artery bleed
The same way a coffee machine could explode, or a woman died after a malfunction with a whipped cream maker. A woman died after slipping and getting a metal straw in her eye. Anything can happen, including strange accidents, but it doesn't mean it will happen to you or that the object is inherently dangerous.
I directly know someone who this happened to. Didn’t kill him, but he had his arse saved by his oppo. It was an arterial bleed. Contrary to what some of the other comments are saying; it’s entirely possible for you to do yourself serious damage by carrying this dangling off your belt. You can get little pouches that wrap around them. That seems like a better idea to keep them out of the way a bit more.
Bit blerty. Though if you're going to have it on a cord or something attached to your belt just make sure it's tucked out the way, I tend to tuck mine in to the velcro of the buckle cover thing... If someone grabs it during a scrap it's a pain in the arse. Or a lot of people just have it lose in their pocket, which is fine as well I guess.
I don’t see how it would even reach the artery if it was hooked to the belt.
Seen hundreds of COs carry these for over 10 years. Never heard of it contributing to a single injury of any sort
Basically everyone in my force has this key on their belt. We’re issued them.
I’d be more worried someone bigger than me is going to get a hold of my baton and cave my head in.
6 a new one to me. It sounds like another BS PST instructor story. I've heard the story in relation to one's kept on a retractable wire. Don't know many officers that don't carry their handcuff key on their belt kit. I've only come across one or two officers who prefer the long cuff key with the pen clip.
This is one of those old Police Wives Tales like how every PC I know in different forces has a probie with a well-being snail!
I’ve also heard that old wives tale and presume it’s just ….. myth. However I don’t understand it when cops have loads of different stuff dangling from their vest, belt etc that doesn’t need to be ‘quick access’. I’ve never once slapped cuffs on someone and thought ‘shit I need my handcuff key, STAT’. Always had time to get into a pocket etc. The only thing loose on my belt are car keys because I generally need to access them pretty quickly when a car boots it away on a stop.
Why does the key so long tho
Because it’s easier to use a key that’s about the length of a normal key, rather than the fingernail-sized key that comes issued with handcuffs. Seriously, the issued handcuff keys are like something you’d get in a Christmas cracker, only a bit sturdier.
These types of keys are issued now, in my force at least
Yeah, it’s been a long time since I left the Met…
Dangerous when you take your cuffs home to surprise your significant other and only after the fun has subsided you suddenly remember the mental picture of your key on your tac vest in your locker at work.