(Serious - but I'll try not to do this too often)
I work at Heathrow Airport and so see armed Police every day and have done for the last few years. It's never bothered me the way it does some people; perhaps because it's so familiar and partly because I've never had a problem with properly trained police being armed (my dad was one of the first of the new breed 'Marksmen' in the Met. Police).
For those who haven't seen it, these men and women walk around in groups of 2 or 4, with flak-jackets, side-arms and HK machine guns. Why? Not sure really; either they are a deterrent or they are there to pop a cap in the bottom (I think that's today's street vernacular) of any terrorist (or possibly just Asian looking) person that is seen with a large backpack or suitcase (phew - not many of those at an airport).
Walking outside T3 yesterday I saw 4 Police arresting someone; probably an illegal cabbie or pick-pocket or whatever. It suddenly struck me that this was what the Police should be doing; arresting people.
What the hell are we doing with about 40 police offices (that's 140 front line police staff, spread over 3 shifts and allowing for down-time) wandering around a single airport not doing what they are trained to do - arresting people who break the law (terrorist activity may be 0.000000000000000000000001% of all crime over the last 5 years?)
We have tens of thousands of army personnel who are trained to guard places and shoot bad boys and girls - they aren't trained in the law, community relations or any of the other things that todays police go through.
Even better - the RAF have their own soldiers who do nothing but guard airports for gods sake - that's their entire point in life.
If there really is a significant threat, and one that can be mitigated with the use of roaming armed patrols (I'm dubious of both those assumptions) then please, put the Police back doing what they are trained to do, and get the Army in.
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