Terrifying Anti-Riot Vehicle Created To Quash Any Urban Disturbance (boingboing.net)

"Are you an urban police force thinking about how to control your fellow humans?" jokes Cory Doctorow. "Look no farther! Your pals at Bozena have an all-new RIOT system, a crowd-control killdozer for all your protest-suppressing needs!" He's one of several web commentators marveling at the marketing copy for a Slovakian company's new anti-riot machinery, also spotted by Slashdot reader drunkdrone. Some quotes from the BOZENA RIOT SYSTEM site about the device's features:

• Easy attachable bulldozer blade.
• The [6,600 pound] shield comes equipped with launching ports designed for use of guns or other rubber projectiles launchers.
• The trailer is capable of displacing the water/foam or its mixtures (available additives: pepper or painting substances) under the high pressure into the distance of several dozen meters.
• Communication with rioters through the loudspeakers.
• Designed to control riots in streets and urbanized areas...intended predominantly for the special military and police units responsible for the CROWD CONTROL during the violent political/social demonstrations, against football hooligans, etc.

Comments

deploy this, and you arent a state anymore.

[nimbius]

Technology like this isnt helping riot control. its dangerous brinkmanship. Once you start deploying autonomous anti-personnel devices like MRAPS's and BOZENA, youve made citzens aware that not only do you not care about the current reason theyre rioting but you're willing to herd them like cattle instead of take the time to listen.

Treat people like expendable trash and theyll fight you in ways you wouldnt expect. in Texas it meant after a slew of police shootings of unarmed black men, a black man took up a sniper position and began executing police from a rooftop with a high power rifle. if your only answer to systemic inequality is to deploy a 6600 pound shield, you'll soon find how resilient it is to firearms that are many, many times more powerful than what you would normally be faced with in a riot situation.

Re:deploy this, and you arent a state anymore.

[roman_mir]

But wait a moment, were you under impression that people a are *not* expendable trash for the purposes of any and all governments out there? People are expendable trash, they are to be taxed, sent to fight in wars and military conflicts that are one way or another profitable to those in the government offices.

Re:Hacked in 3, 2, 1

[Jeremi]

There's a good chance that this machine's software/interfaces will have....inadequate security.

Nothing I can see in the article suggests that this machine contains any software, or any interfaces other than your standard steering wheel/brake/accelerator. What are you referring to?