Jennifer James toys with some new Christmas gift ideas
The Insider was somewhat taken aback to read in the Daily Telegraph that parents have been told not to buy their children a toy gun for Christmas, in case a police marksman mistakes it for a real weapon and shoots them. Senior officers in Essex are quoted as having said that plastic guns are now so realistic that even a trained police marksman may not be able to tell it’s a toy, leading to potential confrontations between armed officers and children.
Feeling the force
A spokesman for the force stated: “When we respond to…incidents we cannot always identify whether a gun is real or fake. Carrying an imitation gun could ultimately result in a highly-trained armed officer having to challenge a teenager and so, naturally, we are worried.”
Hold your horses
In February this year, according to the Telegraph, a couple’s “Cowboys and Indians” fancy dress anniversary party sparked a police raid, including a helicopter, when their toy guns were mistaken for the real thing, as police acted following reports of “firearms” in the area.
The
