Got arrested this morning

Blimey; I got down the stable the other morning and there was one of the 'orses, flat on its side, dead as a door nail. I been flogging it every day ever since and it hasn't made a 'alfpworth of difference, the b****r won't move. Plus the Misses 'as just dropped the milk jug on the floor and burst into tears 😭.
Well, I just dunno what to make of it all.
Water under the bridge, I reckon.
 
I don't know any more than is in this article but it does seem things are getting a bit ridiculous - Man arrested on suspicion of carrying air rifle in York
A man was arrested for carrying a gun in a bag, didn't take the gun out of the bag and didn't threaten anyone...but was arrested anyway!? What the actual charge was it doesn't say and maybe (hopefully) there is more to it but on face value this seems insane.

I grew up in a village not far from York and remember the shoot coming in for a drink afterwards, all with shotguns in slips. God knows what would happen now, I expect the place would be surrounded with armed police...
 
Watched the tv prog on Jean Charles Menezes last night, one comment from a commuter who was present was particularly striking, “They blew his head off” …. Another said stuff was all over the carriage. 8 rounds apparently.
 
I don't know any more than is in this article but it does seem things are getting a bit ridiculous - Man arrested on suspicion of carrying air rifle in York
A man was arrested for carrying a gun in a bag, didn't take the gun out of the bag and didn't threaten anyone...but was arrested anyway!? What the actual charge was it doesn't say and maybe (hopefully) there is more to it but on face value this seems insane.

I grew up in a village not far from York and remember the shoot coming in for a drink afterwards, all with shotguns in slips. God knows what would happen now, I expect the place would be surrounded with armed police...
As you say, there may be more to it, but on face value it seems ridiculous.
The fellow might have just bought it, and be walking back to his parked car. No crime committed, nor even hinted at.
Over the years I've walked through a town on a number of occasions with a gun in a slip, and even on one occasion a newly purchased gun wrapped up in brown paper, always within the law and with a perfectly legitimate reason for doing so.
I could understand if a policeman were to politely enquire what I was up to, but I'd have been seriously hacked off I was detained or in any way inconvenienced or delayed in going about my lawful activities.
 
Grosvenor road junction with Bridge street,Chester, me having a canvas Leg o’ mutton shotgun wrap, resplendent in Barbour flat cap & Royal hunters… “ Excuse me “Sir”, may I see what you are carrying? Circa 1977.
 
Nobody likes to be stopped by the police, or searched, or arrested… That’s a fact of life. In my experience the individual is either entirely innocent of any wrongdoing and is the subject of a malicious or mistaken allegation, or is up to no good. The former may feel aggrieved, quite rightly, also embarrassed, scared and indignant. The latter may act-up, kick-off and generally be a pr*ck, usually in an attempt to distract from their naughtiness. The police in the meantime will either dust you off and send you on your way, or lock you up. That is the way of things.
How you deal with the fallout is up to you, I suppose… Innocent of any wrongdoing? Either suck it up and move on, or make a formal complaint (social media rant is a third option, I suppose). Know you’re guilty? You’ll probably go no-comment in interview, maybe feign illness in custody and certainly make a formal complaint of mistreatment.
Police, whilst this is all going on… onto the next pile of ****, or victim in need, or traffic incident, etc. until end of shift. Maybe scratch their head at the twenty crimes they need to investigate, but can’t. Certainly await the next complaint, either genuine or malicious. So the world turns.
 
I remember a day I was collecting a shotgun and some bags of ammunition (I mean Tesco bags with literally hundreds of assorted rounds) from our office which used the same door entrance as Barclays Bank.

On the day in question the road was being closed at 4:30 for the annual street market/funfair so I was lucky to make it back at about 4:10.
I pulled up on the double yellows out the front of the office and before I could get out a PC and PCSO were standing beside me telling me to move on.
I explained that I had a heavy box to take into the office and I'd be bringing "some heavy stuff" out so I was perfectly within my rights to do so as there were no loading restrictions even though I was on double yellows.

Took the box in, few minutes later exited office/bank entrance with shotgun (I didn't actually have a slip for it as it had come from a family friend via a funeral and they hadn't thought to bring a slip) and Tesco bags whilst said PC then proceeded to give me a further dressing down about how he had stayed there to ensure that I wasn't in fact going to park on the double yellows and there was no way I was going to get away with parking, and that it was a good job that I had got in and out quickly because he was all over it, as I placed shotgun and bags in boot of car.

Obviously it must be quite common in the countryside to see people strolling out the bank with an uncased 12G and therefore the apparent concern over the potential parking offence rather than anything else untoward.

But I guess the point is that the PC on the beat in a sleepy market town is more concerned with parking day to day whereas the SFOs cruising round in their ARVs are conditioned and prepared to meet terrorists and armed robbers.
I guess the lens used on the day the OP was pulled was more the latter than the former.

I would be tempted to write a nice letter to the (find out their name) head of firearms ops - probably a chief inspector/superintendent and explain that I understand the need to respond to firearms reports but highlight the way I felt as a law abiding citizen and how this interaction has had a negative effect on my perception of the police and if it were me I would have done/not done XXXX rather than YYYY etc.

D
 
The issue for me is that those of us that grew up with firearms and and have a traditional shooting background have had it drummed into us that you don’t point a gun at something you don’t intend to shoot, and never ever ever allow your gun to be pointed or swung past a person. It is part of our being and is so ingrained it causes outrage, rightly in my opinion, when it happens. Regardless of the circumstance.
That applies to a firearm in a sporting purpose. A firearm used as a weapon will be pointed at numerous people as a precautionary measure. Sighting systems will be used as observation aids to point weapons at individuals with no intent to shoot.

A firearm in the arms of the police or military is weaponised by its use and intended purpose.

A firearm in the arms of a sporting or professional stalker is a tool.
 
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I forgot to add, the British countryside is often populated by Fox & Deer controllers, and they resemble not, armed players in Crossmaglen or the Bogside .. an obvious threat deserves an at the ready to fire ........... someone burying a gralloch isn't burying a cache so should be given the safety of a muzzle down approach.
Someone burying a cache of drugs, cash, illegal weapons may in fact resemble a deer stalker burying a gralloch.
The perception of the trained Officer approaching an individual, with only the information or intelligence available to them allows the control room and the officer to conduct a dynamic risk assessment on the means and method of approach. This will most likely be the one which provides the highest level of both public and Officer safety.
 
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"With no intent to shoot. " And this is where the breakdown occurs.
The officer behind the firearm has safety by dint of this, the person of interest has no safety.
Just seen this post, FFS!!!!
In the local news. Two boys were playing in their local park after dark with a NERF toy gun. Armed police turned up in an unmarked car screaming at them to get down! get down! Their mum was told. Her son has sleeping problems now she say's. A spokesperson for SUSSEX POLICE said "Toy guns should only be used on private property, with permission from the landowner."BC.

No one and I MEAN no one has the right to muzzle sweep anyone that is obviously not an immediate threat.
 
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However, the recurring theme here is that it’s a member or members of the public who call police to complain about these things, in this case, “a report of young people with a suspected firearm”… Do police go in with the ‘it probably isn’t’ attitude? That’s safer for the innocent toy gun owner, or legitimate hunter, but not safer for anyone if the subject has nefarious intent. I know what I’d prefer as a tax payer.
 
However, the recurring theme here is that it’s a member or members of the public who call police to complain about these things, in this case, “a report of young people with a suspected firearm”… Do police go in with the ‘it probably isn’t’ attitude? That’s safer for the innocent toy gun owner, or legitimate hunter, but not safer for anyone if the subject has nefarious intent. I know what I’d prefer as a tax payer.
Or even nerfarious intent....
 
I was out duck shooting one evening and the police turned up. I was told to lay my shotgun down on the floor while they talked to me. Once they confirmed that I had permission to be there shooting they were on their way.

No arrest was made and all was fine.
 
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