diff --git a/arangod/GeneralServer/HttpCommTask.cpp b/arangod/GeneralServer/HttpCommTask.cpp
index 9daacd4ff3..8da484a030 100644
--- a/arangod/GeneralServer/HttpCommTask.cpp
+++ b/arangod/GeneralServer/HttpCommTask.cpp
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ HttpCommTask::HttpCommTask(EventLoop loop, GeneralServer* server,
   connectionStatisticsAgentSetHttp();
   
   auto agent = std::make_unique<RequestStatisticsAgent>(true);
-  agent->acquire();
   MUTEX_LOCKER(lock, _agentsMutex);
   _agents.emplace(std::make_pair(1UL, std::move(agent)));
 }
@@ -264,11 +263,11 @@ bool HttpCommTask::processRead(double startTime) {
       return false;
     }
 
-    if (std::strncmp(_readBuffer.c_str(), "VST/1.0\r\n\r\n", 11) == 0) {
-      LOG_TOPIC(TRACE, Logger::COMMUNICATION) << "Switching from Http to Vst";
-      std::shared_ptr<GeneralCommTask> commTask;
+    if (_readBuffer.length() >= 11 && std::memcmp(_readBuffer.c_str(), "VST/1.0\r\n\r\n", 11) == 0) {
+      LOG_TOPIC(TRACE, Logger::COMMUNICATION) << "switching from HTTP to VST";
       _abandoned = true;
       cancelKeepAlive();
+      std::shared_ptr<GeneralCommTask> commTask;
       commTask = std::make_shared<VppCommTask>(
           _loop, _server, std::move(_peer), std::move(_connectionInfo),
           GeneralServerFeature::keepAliveTimeout(), /*skipSocketInit*/ true);
@@ -286,8 +285,8 @@ bool HttpCommTask::processRead(double startTime) {
       char const* sptr = _readBuffer.c_str() + _startPosition;
       size_t slen = _readPosition - _startPosition;
 
-      if (slen == 11 && memcmp(sptr, "VST/1.1", 7) == 0) {
-        LOG(WARN) << "got VelocyStream request on HTTP port";
+      if (slen == 11 && std::memcmp(sptr, "VST/1.1\r\n\r\n", 11) == 0) {
+        LOG(WARN) << "got VST request on HTTP port";
         return false;
       }
 
diff --git a/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.cpp b/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.cpp
index 7d47e7b28c..74d7c6abe4 100644
--- a/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.cpp
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@
 /// @author Jan Christoph Uhde
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-//#define DEBUG_STATISTICS
-
 #include "SocketTask.h"
 
 #include "Basics/MutexLocker.h"
diff --git a/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.h b/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.h
index 42718b6cf2..8efcb953ee 100644
--- a/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.h
+++ b/arangod/Scheduler/SocketTask.h
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ class SocketTask : virtual public Task, public ConnectionStatisticsAgent {
 
  protected:
   void addWriteBuffer(std::unique_ptr<basics::StringBuffer> buffer) {
-    addWriteBuffer(std::move(buffer), (RequestStatisticsAgent*)nullptr);
+    addWriteBuffer(std::move(buffer), nullptr);
   }
 
   void addWriteBuffer(std::unique_ptr<basics::StringBuffer>,