[tetha]

In case someone gets into such a situation:

I've seen that many handcuffs can be opened with a strong, thin wire by pushing the hook, which keeps the ratchets from going back, back and pulling the ratchet out. Source was some documentation about a certain military operation where someone explained how he got out of a police station.

[pyre]

I'm interested in how getting out of handcuffs would help you out of a police station. Isn't it like saying that picking the locks on the door to the White House will get you in to see the President?

[tetha]

I'd call it a 'necessary requirement', or even a 'requirement that is good to have'.

Certainly, if I -- as a pretty untrained computer science student -- pick my lock in the largest new yorker police station, well... who cares? Similarly, if you pick the lock of the white house, you probably won't see the president.

On the other hand, if a highly trained marine wants to get out of some police station, he will probably get out of there, and he can raise his chances a lot if his hands are not constrained by handcuffs. (And similar, if a highly trained specialist wants to see the president, he has some chance to do so, and if he can pick any lock in the white house, his chances rise pretty much)

[jacquesm]

Even if it doesn't get you to see the president I'm pretty sure it will get you to see a judge.

Think of getting out of handcuffs as one layer of security removed. There are others, which will be challenges by themselves, but I can imagine that those would be easier to negotiate when your hands are free. You also no longer stand out as a criminal with your hands out of the cuffs. (unless you were a bright orange jumpsuit of course).