Further Violence Breaks Out In Northern Ireland

April 6, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Police have come under attack in a further night of violence in some loyalist areas across Northern Ireland.

On Monday, petrol bombs were thrown at officers in Carrickfergus, while a car was set alight in the Waterside in Londonderry. Police have said the recent attacks were "clearly orchestrated".

The PSNI is also investigating an "un-notified parade" involving masked men in Jervis Street in Portadown on Monday.

Old Bailey Convicts Met Police Officer for Being A Member Of A neo-Nazi Terrorist Organisation

April 1, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A Met Police officer has been convicted of being a member of a banned neo-Nazi terrorist organisation.

Benjamin Hannam, of Enfield, north London, was found guilty of membership of the banned right-wing extremist group National Action (NA). He was also convicted of lying on his Met Police application and having terror documents detailing knife combat and making explosive devices.

Hannam is the first British officer to be convicted of a terrorism offence. He was released on conditional bail ahead of sentencing on 23 April.

HMIC Clears Met Police Of Heavy Handed Tactics At Vigil

March 31, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The Metropolitan Police acted "appropriately" at a vigil for Sarah Everard in south London earlier this month, a police watchdog has found.

The force came under intense criticism after women were handcuffed and removed from crowds on Clapham Common.

A report said there was too little communication between officers at the event but their response, amid Covid restrictions, had been "measured". It called the media coverage a "public relations disaster" for police.

Typhoon Jets Scramble To Russian Bomber Over North Sea

March 30, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Typhoon jets were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth to intercept two Russian Tu-142 Bear-F aircraft as they flew close to UK borders.

The aircraft were first detected on Monday morning by Nato and tracked by Norwegian air defences. The interception was handed over to the RAF, which despatched aircraft from the Lossiemouth base in Moray.

The Typhoons tracked the aircraft over the North Sea, supported by refuelling planes from RAF Brize Norton.

The Russian Tu-142 aircraft are used for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Admits Trust In Met Is Low

March 26, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Dame Cressida Dick, has admitted "there is much more to be done" to improve public trust in the force.

Her comments, which included a stated ambition to increase the number of black officers in the Met, follows criticism from the mother of two black women who were stabbed to death in a park in June. Mina Smallman believes the force "made assumptions" about her daughters and was slow to investigate when Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were reported missing.

Two Pilots Eject After Royal Navy Aircraft Goes Down In Cornwall

March 25, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A Royal Navy Hawk T1 jet has crashed in woodland in Cornwall.

Two pilots ejected from the aircraft which is from the 736 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed. The pilots were checked by critical care paramedics at the scene, Cornwall Air Ambulance said. They were then airlifted to hospital.

Fourteen Arrests In Bristol After Second Night Of Protests

March 24, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Fourteen people have been arrested at a second night of protests in Bristol, police have said.

On Tuesday night about 130 people demonstrating against the government's new Police and Crime Bill gathered at College Green. It came two days after another protest in the city turned violent after dark, injuring several police officers.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said there is "no acceptability" for "criminality and thuggish behaviour".

Police Officers Suffer Injuries After 'Kill The Bill' Demonstration Turns Violent

March 22, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Violent clashes at a demonstration that saw police attacked and vehicles set alight have been condemned as "shameful" and "unacceptable".

Protesters clashed with officers as thousands turned out for the Kill the Bill march in Bristol on Sunday. Twenty officers were injured, two seriously - one with a punctured lung. Seven people have been arrested.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people had a right to protest but the violent scenes were "unacceptable". He added: "They should protest peacefully and legally."

BBC Raises Alarm After Myanmar Journalist Taken By Unidentified Men

March 19, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A reporter with the BBC Burmese service has been detained in Myanmar as clashes continue between security forces and protesters.

Aung Thura was taken away by men in plain clothes while reporting outside a court in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw. The BBC said in a statement that it was extremely concerned and called on the authorities to help locate him.

At least eight people are reported to have died in the most recent protests, which took place in several cities.

Two Women Arrested After Multiple Stabbings In Belfast

March 17, 2021 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Four women have been treated for stab wounds after an incident in north Belfast early on Wednesday.

Police received a report just after 02:00 GMT that a woman had been stabbed and a man attacked in the York Street area. When officers arrived, four women reported injuries as a result of being stabbed. Two of the women, one in her teens and the other in her 20s, remain in hospital.

The other two, both in their 20s, were treated at the scene by the ambulance service. A man in his 20s suffered a minor injury to his hand.