It is unclear from the media reports exactly how many of London's firearms trained police officers have withdrawn their voluntary consent to use firearms, in some form of unofficial industrial action in support of the suspension of two of their collegues over a mistaken shooting case over 5 years ago.
Why has this dragged on for so long ?
There is talk of over 100 of the 400 or so officers from the SO19 specialist firearms unit having been stood down from firearms duty.
It is also unclear and what the effect has been on anti-terrorist patrols, on diplomatic and VIP protection, and on the anti-drug gang related gun crime Operation Trident.
Will this "strike" spread to other parts of the country ?
More insight into this affair is likely to come from The Policeman's Blog than from the tv and newspaper media.
I'm glad you find Coppersblog so insightful. Perhaps you consider "this post of his particularly insightful as well?
http://coppersblog.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_coppersblog_archive.html#109905381864201327
[post for above comment]
Sherry, are you objecting to a posting on another weblog which has got nothing to do with this one ? Why don't you feed back your views directly on that web log itself ?
Most of the postings on The Policeman's Blog seem to be gently ironic and cheerful, despite having to deal with Police and Home Office bureaucracy and the criminal underclasses.
Coppersblog has been nobbled, 12 October 2005