[ QUOTE ]
its just not the way we do things in the UK

[/ QUOTE ] clearly this isn't the way "things are done" in any civilized society. Imagine the stress the london police are under, the individuals on the london force. can you honestly say that in the shoes of the cops pursuing the guy that you wouldn't have done the same thing? What if you don't shoot the guy, and he detonates a bomb? I'm not trying to justify this event(well, maybe a little) the point is, in a situation like this, there are no right answers or happy endings. It's going to be ugly no matter how the situation is dealt with.
Secondly, correct me if i'm wrong, and i don't mean to be inflamitory, i'm just trying to put this in historical perspective: but relative to other western democracies, britain doesn't have a pristine record of maintaining civil liberties, IRA and whatnot. Not that 5 to the head can be considered merely a violation of the poor guys civil liberties, but...