It is rather rare thank god. They are usually called out to deal with armed criminals on their way to a job or people committing suicide by attacking the police with what looks like a gun (surprisingly true). But basically it's quite peaceful.
The only shocker I remember was the Brazilian guy, Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot in error by anti-terrorist police on a tube train. They had been watching the house of a suspected Islamic terrorist but the officer on duty got out of the car to take a leak, and when he got back saw that a man was walking away. He didn't see what door Menezes had come out of and assumed he was the suspect. He was followed to a nearby tube station where it was decided to shoot first and ask questions afterwards. Nasty business, especially as they lied that he had run when challenged and jumped over the ticket barrier - he hadn't - he was just sitting on a train minding his own business and he got 8 bullets in the head. He wasn't even wearing a coat that would cover a suicide bomb. I think they've changed the way they decide who to shoot so it's very unlikely to happen again, so you can come over for a holiday without too many worries. Don't sit on the top deck of the bus though, it's much more dangerous: Bus roof torn off after hitting tree http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31097083 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31097083 Bus roof torn off after hitting tree http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31097083 The roof of a bus is ripped off after it hits overhanging trees in central London. View on www.bbc.co.uk http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31097083 Preview by Yahoo ---In [email protected], <turquoiseb@...> wrote : I saw this article drift past on some forum not long ago, and at first assumed it was fiction. Since then I have learned that PRI.org is a non-profit news organization, but not one known for fiction, so there is a possibility that the 2013 statistic cited in the article is true. A Wikipedia page on the subject (which excludes stats from Northern Ireland) lists only 23 people killed by police firearms since 1980, none in 2013. This is how many times British cops fired guns all of last year: 3 http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-08-18/how-many-times-british-cops-fired-guns-all-last-year-3 http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-08-18/how-many-times-british-cops-fired-guns-all-last-year-3 This is how many times British cops fired guns all of la... http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-08-18/how-many-times-british-cops-fired-guns-all-last-year-3 As the debate over gun control — and, now, the use of force by police — rages in the US and elsewhere, Britain offers a stark contrast. Police there rarely carry gu... View on www.pri.org http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-08-18/how-many-times-british-cops-fired-guns-all-last-year-3 Preview by Yahoo From: salyavin808 <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, February 3, 2015 1:18 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Why European tourists you meet in America are so polite Is the NRA a terrorist organisation? I'm trying to imagine what would happen if a couple of Floridians moved to my street and tried to set up a shooting range in their front garden. I'd give it ten minutes before there were armed police units surrounding the entire area and everyone concerned was dragged off to jail and their kids put into foster care. The whole thing would be filmed by helicopter by every news channel we have and I'm sure a few American ones would turn up to laugh at the fuss we make about nothing. We seem to take child safety a bit more seriously here for some reason. Probably because the school shootings we've had actually motivated people to do something rather than leading to calls for everyone of the age of two to be armed at all times. ---In [email protected], <turquoiseb@...> wrote : They've read articles like this, and assume that everyone they meet is both insane and armed. The Front Yard "Gun Range" Just Feet From My Neighbor's Kids' Bedroom Window UPDATE http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/30/1361295/-The-Front-Yard-Gun-Range-Just-Feet-From-My-Neighbors-Kids-Bedroom-Window?detail=facebook http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/30/1361295/-The-Front-Yard-Gun-Range-Just-Feet-From-My-Neighbors-Kids-Bedroom-Window?detail=facebook The Front Yard "Gun Range" Just Feet From My Neighbor'... http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/30/1361295/-The-Front-Yard-Gun-Range-Just-Feet-From-My-Neighbors-Kids-Bedroom-Window?detail=facebook My son is 9. His best friend is 10 and that little boy has a 7 year old little sister. My son loves playing at their house. These are no computer game kids. They ha... View on www.dailykos.com http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/01/30/1361295/-The-Front-Yard-Gun-Range-Just-Feet-From-My-Neighbors-Kids-Bedroom-Window?detail=facebook Preview by Yahoo
