Armed police swoop on fancy dress revellers in Weymouth

8:00am Saturday 2nd January 2010 in News By Arron Hendy

Armed police in the street Armed police in the street

ARMED police surrounded a house in Weymouth amid reports that a man was brandishing a gun.

The police helicopter was scrambled and the armed response unit mobilised during the incident.

After surrounding the house armed officers marched a group of young men outside at gunpoint.

However, it turned out that the man was one of a number of friends preparing for a fancy dress party and had a BB gun as part of his costume.

The police swooped after reports that a car passenger in Wyke Regis, Weymouth, was holding a handgun and traced the vehicle to the Park District.

Driver Max Nash was stopped outside his home in Hardwick Street before officers used his mobile phone to call his friends inside.

Mr Nash, 21, said: “I went to get out of the car when armed response pulled across the road.

“One of them said ‘stay in the vehicle and put your arms on the vehicle or we will shoot you.’ “He said if I moved he was going to shoot me.

“There were five or six guns being pointed at me so it was scary to start off with but it was funny in the end.”

His friends inside told how they were warned to leave the gun and were warned to show their hands as they came out or risk being shot.

Tom Bell, 20, from Portland, had been to his friend’s house to borrow the gun for his army costume.

He said: “My friend got a call and it was one of the police officers telling him to come downstairs.

“We were all sat up here while Max was downstairs at gunpoint and they had the helicopter out as well.

“They told us to put the gun on the table and walk down the stairs one by one.

“They had us at gunpoint and told my friend to get his hands out of his pockets or he’d be shot.”

Mr Bell said the BB gun was confiscated. He said the group was warned not to have them in public and that it was to be destroyed as it was dangerous.

He added: “I was so shocked to have guns pointed at me.

“I’m only used to it on computer games like Call of Duty.

“The gun was only for a bit of fun and I wasn’t even taking it into town. I was going to a party.

“They said it’s an offence but there must be loads of people on New Year’s Eve with guns that look just like that.

“It’s certainly made it a New Year’s Eve to remember.

Jarrid Pollard, 19, was on his way to see his friends but could not get through due to the police closing off Hardwick Street.

He said: “Obviously someone saw the gun in the carand reported it thinking it was a real gun.”

A Dorset Police spokesman said they received a report that a male passenger in a Vauxhall car was leaning out of a window with a handgun in his hand as the car drove along Douglas Road in Weymouth at 12.53pm on New Year’s Eve.

He said: “Enquiries were made and an area search commenced, culminating in the Vauxhall car being found parked in Hardwick Street.

“Officers entered a nearby address and spoke with five men all between 19 and 21 years of age.

“As is normal in such circumstances armed officers, supported by unarmed colleagues, dealt with the incident.

“The police helicopter was also deployed to the incident.

“A BB gun and pellets were handed over to the officers and the men were advised that incidents of this nature cause public concern and are also an unnecessary drain on police resources.”

Neighbour Jo Hutchings, 43, from Brownlow Street, said the operation was a waste of public money.

She said: “The lads there are good lads and the police just jumped out with their guns.

“It’s not right.

“Ask someone first.

“No one’s that dangerous in Weymouth.”

Comments(32)

r50mini says...
9:20am Sat 2 Jan 10

We wonder why the public have lost confidence in the Police. This is a total overreaction and heavy handedness by the Police. They do not seem to be able to use tact and diplomacy in dealing with the public.
The individuals had not been involved in a violent crime, so why could the Police not use a low key approach, rather than going in guns blazing.

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Dispirited says...
9:42am Sat 2 Jan 10

Unfortunately very few criminals have committed a violent crime until the moment they pull the trigger, then it is to late. The action the police took is normal proceedure in this climate of uncertainty we all face from gun crimes. I have no objections to my money being used in this way. Yes, this was a false alarm but is it not better to have many false alarms than one innocent death. Had the gun been real and someone was killed, then no doubt the cry would have gone up "Where were the police?".

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popup says...
9:48am Sat 2 Jan 10

I don’t often defend the police but if someone reported seeing a gun being waved out of the window of a car then they are duty bound to follow it up and their response was normal and justified under the circumstances, or would you expect an officer to knock on the door and say excuse me sorry to trouble you but has somebody here got a gun. In this instance the police are dammed if they do and dammed if they don’t.

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Stoneman says...
10:15am Sat 2 Jan 10

I oncein my capacity as a Security Officer, had to follow an elderly gentleman who was using a pocket knife to frighten people into giving him money at a cashpoint. This culminated in a Police Constable and I observing the man at Weymouth Swannery we noticed that he was in posession on a large weapon concealed in a holdall. The Constable call this in and we waited over half an hour for the ARV to arrive. After questioning the man he was arrested and it turned out that he was a convicted paedophile wanted by three different Police Forces for various sez ofences against children. At his trial he was sentence to fifteen year. Sometimes heavy handed is the right thing. In this case it worked

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portlandboy says...
10:31am Sat 2 Jan 10

r50mini wrote:
We wonder why the public have lost confidence in the Police. This is a total overreaction and heavy handedness by the Police. They do not seem to be able to use tact and diplomacy in dealing with the public. The individuals had not been involved in a violent crime, so why could the Police not use a low key approach, rather than going in guns blazing.
...And I suppose you think that airport security checks should be carried out once the plane lands at it's destination, only wasting time and money questioning terrorists if they blow it up mid-flight???

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dorwey says...
11:48am Sat 2 Jan 10

"Guns Blazing" ???

Now who's over reacting?
If he had picked the BB gun up from a mates house as part of his fancy dress, why did the police recover pellets? what part of his fancy dress would they have been used in?

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Iona says...
12:20pm Sat 2 Jan 10

What is a BB gun?
If it is a toy and is it illegal to sell them to children above a certain age or size or to sell them to children for the use of adults?

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mark@greenhill says...
12:25pm Sat 2 Jan 10

50mini wrote:
We wonder why the public have lost confidence in the Police. This is a total overreaction and heavy handedness by the Police. They do not seem to be able to use tact and diplomacy in dealing with the public. The individuals had not been involved in a violent crime, so why could the Police not use a low key approach, rather than going in guns blazing.

If, as is claimed he was waving this gun around in public, he should have spent the night in the cells in my opinion.
In this day & age, the police have absolutely no choice as to how they react, this stupid fool should have known better.

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bkiddus says...
2:09pm Sat 2 Jan 10

Typical of the bully boy behaviour of the police in this country. Let's face it, they knew it was probably a toy, but took the opportunity to show off the fact that they've got the real thing.

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Iona says...
3:03pm Sat 2 Jan 10

Do you remember a few years ago when a man was reported to have a gun and an holdall bag. Police shot him dead. It transpired the "gun" was a table leg that the informant had mis-identified at distance in poor light.
Nobody should carry toy guns, or pieces of wood or suspicious looking vegetables (single carrots or single bananas) that look like guns in available light. In fact one would be in danger if half-seen putting these into a bag.

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chesil says...
3:35pm Sat 2 Jan 10

Last summer I saw a group of young men all wearing hoods. One of them reached inside his jacket and, facing in my direction, showed me a gun - presumably in an attempt to impress me. Did I call the Police? No, why? Because I realised he was an idiot with a BB gun, why else try and impress me? Is everyone in this Country a frightened Daily Mail reader????????

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Genghis says...
4:15pm Sat 2 Jan 10

I've criticised the Police on many occasions but, sorry, what else could they have done in this situation? They had a report of somebody with a gun. In all probability it was going to be somebody messing around with a toy gun or a BB gun. So the perceived wisdom of some on here is that they should have just laughed it off as a joke and to tell the person who reported it to do the same thing.
What would have happened if it wwasn't a toy gun or a BB gun and somebody was injured or killed? The Police would have been taken to pieces for not taking the original report seriously. No, from what is in the OHEC report the Police did not go in all guns blazing. They handled this in a controlled and professional manner that pteserved the safety of all involved. So let's give them a bit of credit when it's due.

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chesil says...
4:22pm Sat 2 Jan 10

mark@greenhill. "in this day and age he should have known better". I was a teenager in the 70's. At my School we had a shooting club where we used to bring in our air rifles for target practice, consequently I walked to School carrying my rifle. Before you tell me that was a more innocent time, armed robberies were a weekly occurance, with shootings of bank and security staff - as well as robbers - being commonplace. When I was 17 (1978) and living in the middle of urban Weymouth, I legally owned a Shotgun, which I carried around in a gunbag whilst riding a motorcycle!. When was the last time you read of a shooting in this area? In fact when was the last time there was a murder in Weymouth? As I recall a few years back we started to average around one a year. It is probably safer to live here than it has been for several years. I understand this operation, which also involved the Police helicopter, cost in the region of £20000- not including the time spent on paperwork. On New Years Eve in town there were large numbers of people carrying replica swords, any large scale Police response?

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Get a grip says...
4:33pm Sat 2 Jan 10

So if it had been a gun and the Police had sent a Police Support Officer on a bike would the critics been happy with that?

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dorwey says...
4:53pm Sat 2 Jan 10

I think people on here are far too quick to have a go at the police, and of course are quick to point out it was NYE, so plenty of replica weapons, but as normal they have failed to realise that althouth it was the 31st, this incident took place at lunchtime, how many people did you see walking around Weymouth with replica guns at around 12.30pm?
And of course Weymouth is a safe place and no need for Police intervention, just ask the fella that was knifed the other day in Park street!!

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chesil says...
5:21pm Sat 2 Jan 10

Personally I don't have any gripe with the Police, after all they were - as they usually do - responding to a call from a member of the public. What disappoints me is the hysteria of the general population who appear to believe there are bogeymen around every corner. I have been a victim of crime (actually was knifed myself some years ago Dorwey) and found the Police brilliant. It remains a fact that we live in one of the safest places in the Country.

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popup says...
5:48pm Sat 2 Jan 10

I would like to see all of the people on here who are critical of the police response faced with a situation where they are on the wrong end of a gun toy or not and then ask them what sort of response they would like, and I don’t think it would be the softly softly approach. The man (I use the word man in the loosest possible terms) was a total idiot and should be charged with wasting police time.

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chesil says...
6:14pm Sat 2 Jan 10

What about the total idiot who called the Police in the first place? Perhaps the easiest thing to do is ban all replica weapons

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mark@greenhill says...
6:40pm Sat 2 Jan 10

You're an idiot Chesil.

I am roughly the same age as you, & also used to own & carry both air rifles & a shotgun, but then the police used to turn a blind eye to drink driving & whole host of other crimes going on back then.

Yes times were more innocent, gun crime was rare as born out by the fact that I doubt weymouth police station even possessed a gun, let alone had an armed response unit?

In this instance, the police had absolutely no option other than to take this report seriously. The person who reported it also had no choice other than to ring the police, as both would have been completely condemned if they had dismissed it as trivial, & then it turned out to be real.

As for the brain dead simpleton who waved a gun around in public, yes he should be charged for wasting the police time & presented with the bill for the costs. Idiots like him are a waste of time & space.

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irisred says...
6:52pm Sat 2 Jan 10

The police could not have known if it was a replica, BB gun or real weapon until they got to the scene. they were following procedure in dealing with suspected firearms - what else could they do.

Why did anyone think it would be a good idea to take a BB gun out (and why did they have pellets?) on NYE. You can buy fake plastic guns that are perectly acceptable for fancy dress.

People can be seriously wounded by BB guns, the fact that someone was obviously waving it around while travelling from Portland to town just proves that they weren't mentally capable of using it responsibly!

I think they got off lightly.

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chesil says...
6:55pm Sat 2 Jan 10

Whooooo! Personal abuse! As a matter of fact there has always been a capacity for armed response in the town (Coppers in the family at the time). I popped into the Bathstore in Wyke this a.m. On the pavement outside there were numerous discarded plastic rings from cap guns so presumably other people were out with replica guns that day - so not everyone calls the Police. As for waving a gun around in public - if this was the case then why hasnt he been charged????'

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zbennyz says...
8:14pm Sat 2 Jan 10

for goodness sake, why are we here in still so small minded, of course the police should react to this incident like this. i can see the same people complaining that the police didnt react fast enough to a real gun man. there is no pleasing some people, especially in weymouth. i have lived here for over 50 years and every day i am amazed at the small mindedness and short sight of some people. i was called years ago to some thing similar and the gun turned out to be real and the kid had stolen it from his dad and he admited that the was going to fire it in to the crown as a joke. wake up and realise we dont live in a black and white world and choices need to be made by people with your best intrests in mind.....

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Dorsetdumpling says...
8:32pm Sat 2 Jan 10

Damned if you do and damned if you don't springs to mind here.

Clearly the much reported police call screening system doesn't apply to firearms calls:

"What's that caller? - a bunch of young lads... in a car,..right,...wavin
g a gun?..oh dear.. on..let's just check that..yes, New Year's eve..in.. where was that again? - Weymouth? - O..K....? er, would that be the same Weymouth that's famous for the New Year fancy dress celebrations?? yeees..right, leave it with me sir we'll send a PCSO round, let's see, - yes next Thursday."

Seriously 'though - is a full blown 100% armed response ("do as I say or I'll shoot you") needed in each and every case like this? - in the heat of the moment, with sirens, blues, the guns, the flak jacket, the helicopter, the testosterone (apologies to any female firearms officers) the red mist will inevitably come down and it's only a matter of time before a nervous finger gets just a little too tense on the trigger.

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Techie says...
9:29pm Sat 2 Jan 10

People with nervous trigger fingers don't tend to get to be armed police officers. Armchair experts on the internets - more probable.

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portlandresident says...
1:42pm Sun 3 Jan 10

I want to know why, if they're out with a BB gun (which is bad enough), what the hell do they intend to do with the pellets? Let me guess... To use them in the BB gun to fire!!

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tombell999 says...
6:32pm Sun 3 Jan 10

My name is Tom Bell and I am the 'idiot' that was 'waving the gun out the window'. Can I just say I dont think any of you have the right to call me or my friends idiots or make a judgement on me as a person. I was NOT waving the gun out of the window, in fact, my window wasnt even open as it was extremely cold that day. I would like to point out that we walked from one house to a car and then from the car to another house where the party was to be held and there was never any intention of taking a 'gun' into town. The pellets were part of the costume I was dressing up in and didnt intend to shoot anything at all! So hopefully that clears that bit up! I have grown up in the town of weymouth in the spirit of which fancy dress has been part of new years eve celebrations as long as I can remember, and not in some 'ghetto' where there would be concern about gun culture!! I understand the police were doing their job and reacted very well to the situation. So thank you for your intelligent comments....guess im just another 20 year old thug....

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Tike says...
8:08pm Sun 3 Jan 10

Tom Bell, you have just ruined a typical mis-informed echo rant, you may not be a thug but you are guilty of letting the truth get in the way of reporting - shame on you!!! Hope all the drama didn't ruin your New Year. The next time I need the police to respond to anything I now know that if I get a BB gun I'll be in with a chance!

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tombell999 says...
10:06pm Sun 3 Jan 10

Tike wrote:
Tom Bell, you have just ruined a typical mis-informed echo rant, you may not be a thug but you are guilty of letting the truth get in the way of reporting - shame on you!!! Hope all the drama didn't ruin your New Year. The next time I need the police to respond to anything I now know that if I get a BB gun I'll be in with a chance!
Tike, you have made my day! It will be one to tell the grand kids when im older (that is if im not in prison!)

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dorwey says...
10:12am Mon 4 Jan 10

So how did the member of the public see the gun then?

The police were very specific in saying that "was leaning out of a window with a handgun in his hand as the car drove along".

So someones telling porkies!

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tombell999 says...
12:30pm Mon 4 Jan 10

well there is windows on a car so my guess is they seen through them? But im not telling porkies thanks!

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Dorsetdumpling says...
12:32pm Mon 4 Jan 10

Techie wrote:
People with nervous trigger fingers don't tend to get to be armed police officers. Armchair experts on the internets - more probable.
Yees Techie, and highly trained police drivers on calls never cause accidents........

(You were right that I was typing from an armchair 'though - having a bit of a rest after many years as a firearms instructor and range officer)

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dorwey says...
4:52pm Mon 4 Jan 10

tombell999 wrote:
well there is windows on a car so my guess is they seen through them? But im not telling porkies thanks!
You're welcome, x-ray vision would explain it.

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