Former Scotland Yard Detective Peter Bleksley has defended Manchester City Centre Police for patrolling armed officers at this year's Christmas market, following backlash from locals.
In a now deleted social media post, Manchester City Centre Police shared images of patrolling officers, vowing to "keep all safe" this festive season.
However, the body was forced to remove the post after locals complained about the move, asking Manchester Police "who they were keeping us safe from".
Defending the move, former detective Peter Bleksley backed the decision by Manchester Police, stating it is a "modern life factor of 2024" to have armed officers patrolling public events.
Bleksley stated: "I welcome it. Many people replied on social media, and of course we know what the inference of their response is, keeping us safe from rabid Islamists who would want to wipe us from the face of the earth.
"They attack crowded places, so of course we need firearms officers to patrol them."
Urging Britons to not "bow to fear" this festive season, Bleksley encouraged those in Manchester to go to the Christmas market and "enjoy the event".
Bleksley added: "We need police officers patrolling, armed or not. We should have more of it. And I hope everybody continues to not be cowed or bowed by any fear, but to go and enjoy them.
"Look at the London Bridge attack - not a Christmas market, but it was a crowded marketplace."
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When questioned by Dawn Neesom if the decision by Manchester Police to patrol armed officers means there is "an attack planned" that the authorities know of.
Bleksley disagreed, explaining: "If an attack was imminent, then the threat level would be raised and the government would have made an announcement, so we don't need to read into it something that's not there.
"But I think we should be reassured we should welcome these patrols. I would like so many more thousands of police officers to be patrolling the streets, because it might go some way to arresting this epidemic of crime that's blighting our nation."
However, former Labour MP Stephen Pound argued that the presence of armed police officers may "instil fear" in Britons at the market, and heighten tensions unnecessarily.
Pound told GB News: "As a father, as a grandfather, what am I going to say to my granddaughter if she says, 'why is that man holding a gun?' There's got to be some middle way in which we can actually use intelligence a bit more, and have a visible police presence.
"I still think having people tooled up walking around a Christmas market can actually, in some cases, be counterproductive because it will actually increase the fear factor rather than decrease it."
Hitting back at Pound, Bleksley argued that the presence of armed police could be a "deterrent" for any potential attackers.
Bleksley told GB News: "What these posts do is they serve as an element of deterrent to those who would go to a market and carry out an attack. Look at so many terror attacks that have been thought up, dreamt up, influenced by lone wolves, people who go out and do it themselves and create a lot of carnage with simple weaponry such as knives.
"This is a good deterrent, and I think this might deter somebody from doing such a thing."
from GB News https://ift.tt/4KwPZgf
Former Scotland Yard Detective Peter Bleksley has defended Manchester City Centre Police for patrolling armed officers at this year's Christmas market, following backlash from locals.
In a now deleted social media post, Manchester City Centre Police shared images of patrolling officers, vowing to "keep all safe" this festive season.
However, the body was forced to remove the post after locals complained about the move, asking Manchester Police "who they were keeping us safe from".
Defending the move, former detective Peter Bleksley backed the decision by Manchester Police, stating it is a "modern life factor of 2024" to have armed officers patrolling public events.
Bleksley stated: "I welcome it. Many people replied on social media, and of course we know what the inference of their response is, keeping us safe from rabid Islamists who would want to wipe us from the face of the earth.
"They attack crowded places, so of course we need firearms officers to patrol them."
Urging Britons to not "bow to fear" this festive season, Bleksley encouraged those in Manchester to go to the Christmas market and "enjoy the event".
Bleksley added: "We need police officers patrolling, armed or not. We should have more of it. And I hope everybody continues to not be cowed or bowed by any fear, but to go and enjoy them.
"Look at the London Bridge attack - not a Christmas market, but it was a crowded marketplace."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- BBC blasted for 'stupid' move after casting black and minority actors in Tudor series: 'Keep history as it is!'
- Neighbour row erupts as council orders pensioner to tear down 6ft fence around her own home
- Pro-Palestine marches planned for Remembrance Sunday branded 'appalling'
When questioned by Dawn Neesom if the decision by Manchester Police to patrol armed officers means there is "an attack planned" that the authorities know of.
Bleksley disagreed, explaining: "If an attack was imminent, then the threat level would be raised and the government would have made an announcement, so we don't need to read into it something that's not there.
"But I think we should be reassured we should welcome these patrols. I would like so many more thousands of police officers to be patrolling the streets, because it might go some way to arresting this epidemic of crime that's blighting our nation."
However, former Labour MP Stephen Pound argued that the presence of armed police officers may "instil fear" in Britons at the market, and heighten tensions unnecessarily.
Pound told GB News: "As a father, as a grandfather, what am I going to say to my granddaughter if she says, 'why is that man holding a gun?' There's got to be some middle way in which we can actually use intelligence a bit more, and have a visible police presence.
"I still think having people tooled up walking around a Christmas market can actually, in some cases, be counterproductive because it will actually increase the fear factor rather than decrease it."
Hitting back at Pound, Bleksley argued that the presence of armed police could be a "deterrent" for any potential attackers.
Bleksley told GB News: "What these posts do is they serve as an element of deterrent to those who would go to a market and carry out an attack. Look at so many terror attacks that have been thought up, dreamt up, influenced by lone wolves, people who go out and do it themselves and create a lot of carnage with simple weaponry such as knives.
"This is a good deterrent, and I think this might deter somebody from doing such a thing."
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