Held at gun point

[Westley]

Just to end my contribution to this post and show another aspect to this. About 30 years ago I had the fortune to shoot over some 2000 plus acres of ground  all on the urban fringe. I shot with several other Bobbies, male and female, a Police Surgeon and a Prison Governor, along with various other occupations. It did not take long for the local low life to work this out, especially when I was catching them coursing or exercising their pet budgies, disguised as Harris Hawks. Anyway 4 of us were walking in 2 small fields of cabbage, towards a large field of sprouts. As we deemed it unsafe to shoot these small field due to proximity of roads etc., we were walking with unloaded and broken guns. The lad on  my left being the end gun was probably some 50 yards in from the road, I was next to him and around 60 yards in. We both saw a car stop on the road, just ahead of the line. It was not uncommon for cars to stop and occupants to watch or sometimes hurl abuse. However on this occasion, a back door of the car opened,a balaclava clad person alighted, a sawn off shotgun was aimed at us and both barrels discharged. Thankfully a sawn off has a very wide spread and in pointing over the hedge, it was pointing downwards. The other lad and myself were both wearing Solway Zippers and overtrousers and they proved to make excellent body armour. However we both found lead pellets embedded in the wax finish of the overtrousers.  We were unable to get a reg. no. for the vehicle and it sped off.  It was found abandoned and burned out some 30 minutes later, the remains of the sawn off still in the back. We never formally reported the incident (too much paperwork) but it was certainly the topic of conversation over the shoot lunch in a local pub. With at least 1 shooting a week and a stabbing almost daily, it is no wonder urban fringe Officers act accordingly. I still see the other lad that was shot, usually a local clay grounds and we still laugh about the Hunters becoming the Hunted  !     😄

[Imperfection]

Someone i know got the whole 9mm pointing at his head treatment by the police while being screamed at when he was deer stalking with a friend.

One copper even admitted to him they knew the report of 'man with gun' they were given would be false but continued with the entire face down on ground routine as it would be good for training newbies to the team. 

 

[WalkedUp]

11 hours ago, Westley said:

I NEVER said that you were  !

I meant the police treating me as an offender 👍

13 hours ago, Agriv8 said:

WalkedUp you still have not answered the burning question we’re you cautioned for the wearing of the crocs ?

 

I love my crocs! I wear Meindl high boots or crocs, i took the boots but it was too hot for them. The sad truth is I have three pairs of crocs: one pair (green) for driving to the shoot and occasionally shooting; one pair (black) reserved for wearing to clear out the dogs’ yard; and one pair of ‘best crocs’ (also plain black) for wearing in the garden if it is too muddy for my Birkenstocks. 

[Agriv8]

Only pulling you leg - you wear whatever you want but suggest on reflection of your opening post maybe not crocks with a burka or life jacket or both ! Maybe steer clear of a rucksack as well

happy shooting WalkedUp keep it up

Agriv8

1 hour ago, WalkedUp said:

I meant the police treating me as an offender 👍

I love my crocs! I wear Meindl high boots or crocs, i took the boots but it was too hot for them. The sad truth is I have three pairs of crocs: one pair (green) for driving to the shoot and occasionally shooting; one pair (black) reserved for wearing to clear out the dogs’ yard; and one pair of ‘best crocs’ (also plain black) for wearing in the garden if it is too muddy for my Birkenstocks. 

 

[WalkedUp]

7 hours ago, Agriv8 said:

 

Only pulling you leg - you wear whatever you want but suggest on reflection of your opening post maybe not crocks

 

You finally know you’ve made it in life that day you pull on a pair of ‘best’ crocs for the garden 🤣

Obviously being northern mine are all clones as I don’t have real-Crocs™️ sort of money 😢

https://stockx.com/en-gb/crocs-dimitri-clog-chinatown-market £400 😳

Edited July 27, 2022 by WalkedUp

[discobob]

1 hour ago, WalkedUp said:

You finally know you’ve made it in life that day you pull on a pair of ‘best’ crocs for the garden 🤣

Obviously being northern mine are all clones as I don’t have real-Crocs™️ sort of money 😢

https://stockx.com/en-gb/crocs-dimitri-clog-chinatown-market £400 😳

Nowt wrong with crocs - I love em - although I have the ones with the Suede effect top - so reaaaallllyyyy posh - wear them everywhere.

I hate hot feet - send me doolally and I worked in an office that was really hot - so I wore them there as well there!!

[London Best]

Seeing as it appears to be confession time, I will own up to having three pairs of Crocs.

Scruffy (puppy chewed), better, and a suede top pair for going out in the evenings.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

6 hours ago, London Best said:

Seeing as it appears to be confession time, I will own up to having three pairs of Crocs.

Scruffy (puppy chewed), better, and a suede top pair for going out in the evenings.

You are a devil aren't you!   

[Walker570]

Errrrr ?????? Can you Woke folk explain what Crocs are to an old fogey????

[TIGHTCHOKE]

5 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Errrrr ?????? Can you Woke folk explain what Crocs are to an old fogey????

Awful vented plastic shoes, originally French I believe!

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by TIGHTCHOKE

[Old farrier]

1 hour ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Awful vented plastic shoes, originally French I believe!

 

Proper men wear hobnail boots 

plastic is so last year 😂

[Scully]

I’m on my second pair of Crocs! First pair went all over Europe with me. 

The holes are to allow your self esteem to leech out! 🙂

[Walker570]

Nuff said, look a bit pooffy to me. 

[Scully]

11 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Nuff said, look a bit pooffy to me. 

Very popular with hospital staff, especially surgeons. 👍

[London Best]

40 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Nuff said, look a bit pooffy to me. 

It’s OK, you can get them in camo too.

[Newbie to this]

Chicken crocs 

[enfieldspares]

My wife, born and bred Nigerian girl, and from a time before I knew her told me she had a Spanish policemen point a gun at her. So she stepped forward and took it off him with the words "Y ahora?". In fact I've also had a now dead ex-Metropolitan Police sergeant say he had a colleague do the same when, in London, some criminal pointed a sawn off shotgun at him "And now?" So it's not uncommon.

Edited July 27, 2022 by enfieldspares

[WalkedUp]

 

12 hours ago, London Best said:

a suede top pair for going out in the evenings

For some reason I can only picture that as part of black tie attire with a velvet smoking jacket 🤣

[HantsRob]

3 hours ago, Scully said:

Very popular with hospital staff, especially surgeons. 👍

that may be outdated info. They were banned over 10 years ago by the NHS as they don't give sharps protection.

Whether or not that's adhered to is a different thing.

[bruno22rf]

On 24/07/2022 at 19:20, Westley said:

BASC have been working with various Police Forces to try and limit this sort of response, but also in an effort to educate Police  Officers as to what shooters are likely to be doing in the field.

Well if BASC are on the case we can all sleep a whole lot easier, in fact I would go so far as to suggest that within a century or so events like this will rarely happen - but dont quote me on the time frame. 

[Westley]

6 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

Well if BASC are on the case we can all sleep a whole lot easier, in fact I would go so far as to suggest that within a century or so events like this will rarely happen - but dont quote me on the time frame. 

I can see more of these events occurring quite honestly. Before I retired I became the force Wildlife Liaison Officer,  I attended many seminars which were organised by the RSPB. At the first and several more of these seminars those attending were primarily shooting people. At the final seminar that I attended and the Officer that took up my position after my retirement, were all fully paid up, RSPB members. So things are changing and far more shooters are facing complaints from people who have rather bigoted views of shooting. There are more people exercising their 'right to roam' in the countryside and especially on the urban fringe than ever before. I have even been told that I 'should not be there' by blatant trespassers walking their doggies. With our laws of trespass being virtually none existent we will struggle, which is why I am an advocate of informing the Police of my intention to shoot, especially on the ever expanding urban fringe. Enter the grounds of the properties of those trespassing and see how long it takes for the Police to attend, but try phoning for the Police to attend to trespassing on the ground you are shooting  ? Someone has to make the first move in enlightening the Police who are likely to have to attend these incidents and the BASC are the only ones who are attempting this at present.

Edited July 28, 2022 by Westley

[Penelope]

On 26/07/2022 at 08:33, Agriv8 said:

WalkedUp you still have not answered the burning question we’re you cautioned for the wearing of the crocs ?

As for the account and rampant sexism I read as adding “tone” to the account. In a situation like this I would be watching fingers and triggers very carefully! Please can you write to the force to complain that the response team did not have :-

one male officer with nail polish

the correct percentage of officers from ethnic back grounds

at least one officer identifying as a gender not the same as there birth certificate 

arive in an electric vehicle 

Agriv8 

Sarcy 😆

[Fellside]

5 hours ago, Penelope said:

Sarcy 😆

I think wearing crocs is only an offence in a built up area. 

[Newbie to this]

10 hours ago, Westley said:

I can see more of these events occurring quite honestly. Before I retired I became the force Wildlife Liaison Officer,  I attended many seminars which were organised by the RSPB. At the first and several more of these seminars those attending were primarily shooting people. At the final seminar that I attended and the Officer that took up my position after my retirement, were all fully paid up, RSPB members. So things are changing and far more shooters are facing complaints from people who have rather bigoted views of shooting. There are more people exercising their 'right to roam' in the countryside and especially on the urban fringe than ever before. I have even been told that I 'should not be there' by blatant trespassers walking their doggies. With our laws of trespass being virtually none existent we will struggle, which is why I am an advocate of informing the Police of my intention to shoot, especially on the ever expanding urban fringe. Enter the grounds of the properties of those trespassing and see how long it takes for the Police to attend, but try phoning for the Police to attend to trespassing on the ground you are shooting  ? Someone has to make the first move in enlightening the Police who are likely to have to attend these incidents and the BASC are the only ones who are attempting this at present.

I think they were hinting that events like this will be nonexistent, because private gun ownership will be nonexistent, especially with BASC on the case.

[Westley]

18 minutes ago, Newbie to this said:

I think they were hinting that events like this will be nonexistent, because private gun ownership will be nonexistent, especially with BASC on the case.

Like BASC or loathe  them, THEY are the only ones trying to educate Police Forces in the ways of bona fide shooters. I recently had occasion to meet Firearms Officers who had a totally different approach. 1 Male and 1 Female Officer, I did not notice her nail varnish or fake tan, or his for that matter, but their attitude towards us could not have been nicer. Perhaps an ex WLO as North Regional Director, may have had something to do with it.