Sympathy with Cumbria police
The terrible events in Cumbria last week are now entering a phase where people are asking questions. Within a day of the shootings people were asking if Cumbria police were up to the task obviously to the irritation of the police chief.
Now it has come to light that 3 policemen saw Mr Bird early in the sequence.
Yet what is a force in a small town in an isolated area supposed to be capable of. How quickly do you realise that someone who shot one person is going to shoot more or if you as an unprotected and unarmed policeman might be a target.
Most of the commentators have travelled from London and imagine that there are police sharpshooting squads on hand in high powered cars covered by helicopters 24hrs a day with an instant reaction time like they’re used to. Yet, even with all this in London criminals aren’t caught. So let’s leave Cumbria police to do a job as appropriate for their area and not get carried away with notions of a big city force.