It's the trouble with guns

IT'S late on a Friday night and a police 999 operator receives a report that a man is drunk or high on drugs and is shouting abuse at people in the street. Perhaps this is not an unusual event, but this incident has extra urgency - a bystander says he is carrying a gun.

Before police can be sent to the scene, senior officers must judge what danger they face. They ask themselves a series of questions. Is the information credible? Who is the assailant? Does he have a history of violence or access to weapons? Intelligence gathered on police databases can help, but all officers are eventually left with a judgment call.

The authorising officer will deploy firearms if he has reason to suppose that his men may be confronted by an armed individual, someone who has access to weapons or who is otherwise so dangerous that the officer's use of a firearm may be necessary.

His firearms team are highly-trained people who have been selected for their abilities in planning and restraint as well as emotional strength, alertness and, crucially, decision-making under pressure. If they confront the man and he points the gun at them, they may be called to make a split-second life and death decision. It's a job few would envy.

The tragic reality of the role of the police marksman has been thrown into sharp relief by the recent suspension of two Metropolitan Police officers after a second inquest into the death of Harry Stanley, 46, returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

The two officers shot him dead in Hackney, East London, in 1999, after confronting him near a pub where he had been drinking. They thought he was pointing a shotgun at them, but in fact the 'gun' was a table leg which he had recently repaired and placed in a bag.

Up to 125 armed officers went on an unofficial "sympathy strike" in the capital when they learned of the men's suspension and Sir John Stevens, the most senior police officer in the country, called for more legal protection for the "difficult job" firearms specialists carry out. The strike was called off yesterday after talks.

In North Yorkshire senior officers have invested heavily in our own armed response capability. Although the number of criminals who possess guns in the county is relatively low, the force is prepared for any eventuality. Last year 135 firearms incidents took place in North Yorkshire, a tenth of the 1,300 that occurred in West Yorkshire.

Armed officers are also deployed to protect the two controversial military bases at Menwith Hill and Fylingdales, which are seen as potential terrorist targets, as well as protecting royal visitors and VIPs. The officers are also tasked to take part in day-to-day operations which may target trouble hot-spots or places hit by vehicle crime.

A new purpose-built facility for armed officers will soon be unveiled at Thirsk and officers are this week moving their equipment from Easingwold. The newly-formed Firearms Support Unit, led by Inspector Richard Armstrong, will then operate from Thirsk and Tadcaster.

Inspector Armstrong recently told the Evening Press that the 100-strong North Yorkshire Police unit was better prepared than ever to deal with a terrorist attack or terrifying armed incident and that he is confident in the ability of his officers to protect the public.

Chief Superintendent Tim Madgwick, York and Selby area commander, led the armed siege which took place off Windmill Lane, Heslington, York, earlier this week when the police received a report that a man was inside his house with a pistol. He successfully defused the situation and resident David Roustoby gave himself up.

Mr Madgwick said he cannot comment on the operation because talks are ongoing with the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether charges will be brought against Mr Roustoby, and police weapons experts have not completed their analysis of a handgun found at the scene.

But the senior police officer has added his influential voice to a growing chorus calling for a ban on replica firearms. He points to a series of incidents in the city when officers carrying deadly weapons were brought in because someone was playing with a realistic-looking toy.

One such incident took place at Burton Croft, in Clifton, when a security guard reported he had seen a gun lying on the floor of the disused nursing home after it was occupied by squatters. It later proved to be a toy pistol. In another case armed officers were called to Garfield Terrace, off Leeman Road, as they attempted to arrest an armed robber who threatened post office staff with a six-inch metal cylinder.

In both incidents police said that there were no "half measures" when there was a chance that officers could be confronted by a firearm. In neither incident was a real gun found.

Mr Madgwick said: "There are too many of these things around. It is impossible to tell them apart from the real thing, especially in the dark or when they are being waved around. I would fully support a ban on the sale of replica firearms.

"They are either used by criminals to commit robberies or other things because they have got no legal use. Even when they are in the hands of ordinary people who are interested in firearms they can cause problems.

"As a senior officer, if I put my officers in a situation where they have reason to believe there is a firearm I have to respond at the appropriate level."

But gun enthusiasts say they are living within the law and said a blanket ban would create even more problems. Even then, Stuart Sykes, of Blue Moon Trading, which stocks such replicas, said he did not envy the police's job.

He said: "It's a difficult situation. The police have a vested interest in saying that. It's the same as a vegetarian wanting the law to ban butchers' shops.

"I'd love to live in a perfect world but you can't legislate against fools. Nearly every month some fool acts silly with something. There are a lot of problems with alcohol in this country but there's no point in closing all the pubs."

He added that the debate on replica weapons and air guns had gone on for 40 years and would rumble on for another 40.

He said the "ban it all brigade" did not provide the answer. "It didn't work with drink or guns in some parts of America," he said.

Mr Sykes said part of the problem stemmed from magistrates not handing down tough enough sentences to people caught misusing air guns. "We have police officers who are customers and they say the same thing," the shop boss said.

"Put these people in front of the magistrates and because of the sentences they receive they come out laughing and they do not give a damn. This is not sending out any kind of warning."

Gun incidents

Osbaldwick traveller site

More than 150 police officers, some armed, swooped on Osbaldwick traveller's site in a "clean sweep" raid targeting stolen goods, drugs use and money laundering. Armed officers kept a low profile as other officers including dog handlers searched more than 20 caravans at the isolated compound for evidence. Marksmen were brought in because planners feared weapons could be stored on the site. Several air rifles were seized during the operation in mid-September.

RSPCA siege

Pub worker Paul Lovie is still in prison after his actions to recover his beloved pet Jack Russell sparked a siege at the RSPCA centre in Landing Lane, York, above, in February. He forced his way into the sanctuary with what looked like a sawn-off shotgun and a samurai sword in an attempt to "bluff" staff into returning the animal. He later gave himself up to armed officers. A York judge told him he lucky not to have been shot before sending him down for 15 months.

Willerby House flats, The Groves

Members of the public were told to stay in their homes as armed police surrounded a block of flats in The Groves in September last year after shots rang out in the middle of the night. Officers were called to Willerby House after police were threatened with a pistol and furniture was thrown out of a window. The man, who had barricaded himself inside, eventually gave himself up. The drama began after a resident called police to say a gun had been discharged in the street nearby.

Digger menace

Armed officers were called in in March last year after a manic depressive caused road chaos as he drove a stolen 18-tonne digger on the A19 near Barlby, above left. Thief Robert Leaper rammed three police cars and chased a member of the public before driving on to fields, abandoning the vehicle and hiding in a friend's house. One witness said he was waving a weapon as he sat in the driver's seat. He was later tackled by officers as marksman surrounded the suburban property. A judge later order that Leaper should be confined to a secure hopital

Updated: 09:21 Thursday, November 04, 2004