999 is a joke
Police ignore firearm callout
A Blackbird Leys resident has complained to the IWCA about the failure of the police to respond after he reported a group of youths playing around with a handgun on Long Ground.
The resident called the police after he saw one of the youths pull out what appeared to be an automatic pistol and point it at the others. The police said they would send a car onto the estate.
Forty minutes later the youths were seen again running amok in the car park of Tescos, at which point the resident phoned the police again. After explaining the circumstances to the incident desk he was told he would be put through to the appropriate department. After waiting on the line for several minutes, however, the phone had still not been answered and the call was ended.
The police appear to have kept no record of the reported incident and it has not been possible to confirm whether the sighted handgun was a replica or the real thing.
Despite their lack of interest in this case, Thames Valley Police have been conducting a media campaign highlighting the problem of fake guns. According to the police, ‘Every time an incident is reported in which a gun is believed to have been seen, the police must treat it as a real firearm.’
Speaking about the recent sighting, Stuart Craft of the IWCA said, ‘It appears that the police’s usual policy of sending out armed officers to deal with firearms incidents does not apply on Blackbird Leys. Unfortunately this will probably come as no surprise to many residents, who believe they’re getting a second rate service.’
Leys Independent, issue 16, December 2002
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