West Midlands Police ordered back to bases due to fast moving security threat

a reply to: KROandSOTV

Look this up on wiki: Demography of Birmingham UK.

Its potentially the UK's Ferguson.

Looks like a threat was made to kidnap and kill a police officer

news.sky.com...

Does this mean we'll be back to the days when we weren't allowed to wear our uniforms out due to the IRA threat? Only now it's idiots wanting to do what they did to Lee Rigby.

Unfortunately the UK has made it illegal to carry absolutely anything for self protection use, so unless you could grab a big stick, it's going to be hard trying to help an officer that was in trouble.

CX.

Sounds like an imminent threat to attack a man in uniform and drape a ISIS flag on his corpse? (ok - I'm assuming that last part)

Not going on home on public transport probably means not wearing your uniform outside tonight..

Scary thought, civilized uniform men in civilized places being targeted in suicide attacks just for being there.

I'm not scared of the militants and what they can do, I'm scared of there being such a powerful & theoretical cause that's can convince people into murder suicides!

.. and its spread via the internet, one of mans greatest creations! its a technomental disease!

a reply to: CX

I was going to say the same - I remember in Northern Ireland it was strictly forbidden to go off base in uniform and even in the UK or Germany, it was widely recommended that you went out in civies.

As for the OP - it does seem to be some sort of plot to attack a police officer, perhaps related to IS?

Beeb has confirmed the story - apparently a plot to kidnap and murder an officer. Best to keep an eye on this through the day.

a reply to: KROandSOTV

From the reports i have read, the Police were not ordered back to bases - rather they were "reminded" during / after daily briefings to take extra care travelling to work. This includes changing out of uniform, etc.

I also haven't seen anywhere that is has been described as a specific terror threat, although that would surely be most likely (can't imagine it being threats from disgruntled street performers or angry motorists!).

a reply to: Flavian

Yeah, same here. I was puzzled by the term "ordered back to base" as Police don't have "bases".

a reply to: stumason

Yep......I had to apply for permission even to wear my No 1 dress to my grandads funeral, but yeah, even squaddie issue t-shirts, jeans and desert boots were suggested not to be worn.

CX.

originally posted by: stumason
a reply to: Flavian

Yeah, same here. I was puzzled by the term "ordered back to base" as Police don't have "bases".

Not sure if that was the wording of the police or the press. I know I've heard taxi firms using the term for their HQ, and the term "back to base" rings a bell from when I used to watch "The Bill" years ago.

May just be a slang word used by accident, I don't know.

CX.

a reply to: CX

Stupid, isn't it? While at the same time, the IRA held parades and "military style" funerals for their fallen and we left them to it.

It's not just cops.
For a year now my kids have been under orders to wear mufti when travelling to cadets.
It doesn't totally apply because I take them in the car, but the idea that cadets might be 'legitimate' targets makes me rather angry.

originally posted by: AngryCymraeg
Beeb has confirmed the story - apparently a plot to kidnap and murder an officer. Best to keep an eye on this through the day.

Just heard on the radio that it was one guy telephoning in a threat. It could well just be a lone nutbag but I suppose they had to take it seriously untill they tracked him down.

a reply to: DrHammondStoat

Quite - they have made an arrest over threats to kill Police.