Page 15 - Top Cover Issue 8
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TOP COVER ISSUE 8  15


                    I   t’s difficult to actually fathom how distorted   along with members of the public. To believe





                        the minds are of the people who inflict
                                                                      we can avoid this is sadly naïve. What we can
                        these heinous acts on innocent people. The
                                                                      do however, is ensure we have the proper
                                                                      resources and response to such an attack.
                        pictures of a police officer being ‘finished
                                                                      For armed officers this will be the ‘balloon
                        off’ whilst wounded and begging for his life
                        demonstrates the evil we are dealing with.
                                                                      mental challenge – one that they have trained
                                                                      for – and one we all know we are ‘up’ for.
                      What stands between that evil and our           going up’ moment. The biggest physical and
                      freedom in the UK are firearms officers and
                      the military. We have arguably the best         ACPO Armed Policing Lead, DCC Simon
                      Special Forces in the world, who no doubt       Chesterman QPM, is determined to ensure
                      would be deployed if a situation like that in   we have the right resources in place and has
                      Paris occurs. But the first responders will be   written for TOP COVER about where we are
                      police officers, unarmed most probably, along   currently and where we need to be. Dave
                      with community support officers. What they      Blocksidge, our regular Science on the Street
                      report back in the early minutes of an attack   author, looks at multiple shots and attackers
                      will be crucial to how armed officers respond   to see how officers perform under such
 Se préparer…
                      and react to the threat. Inevitably some of the   enormous pressure.
                      unarmed officers and PCSOs will be killed,




















                      Events in Paris sent shock waves around the world
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