Modern London bobby

I spent another lunchbreak wandering the south bank of the Thames, and came across two police officers, one of whom was armed. I was genuinely surprised as I did not expect to find guns on open display in a tourist area, so I talked to the officer about it, and in the process of our conversation he kindly agreed to let me take his picture. The reason for carrying the weapons is the increased risk of terrorism in the area. A friend tells me that what he is carrying is actually a machine gun, which definitely makes me nervous in such a densely populated tourist area.

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A nice candid but a sad reflection of life today in Britain.

I don't know much about guns but I would hope it's set on semi-automatic.

He let you shoot him - good job he didn't want to shoot you in return!

Very nice shot ... he sure looks cool!

It's a perspective thing, I think ... last time I was in Manila (Phillipines), it bothered me more that the (private) security guard outside the discotheque was carrying something that looked more deadly than this ... although he didn't look like he was capable of writing his name

... Many discotheques we went to had someone like that in front, some with shotguns instead...

Best regards,
Andy

Nice image but I feel Cameron says it all!

<QUOTE>a sad reflection of life today in Britain</QUOTE>

Regards
David

Oh well... we all know that traditionally London Bobbies have been unarmed. I never lived in London so I have no clue about the security levels over there but I can tell you that I feel much safer in seeing any LEO heavily armed unless unarmed.

Also, for what I am reading, the very strict laws about handguns in the UK did not really solved the problem of armed violence (and thats makes sense, unarming the law abiding citizens doesn't means that the BGs will follow the rules...) so not a big surprise that now they are armed and with a vest.

And yes, he is carrying what is seems to be a mid sized MG (its so contrasty that I cannot see the details so I do not recognize it).

Despite all the gun considerations, I really like the pic.

See this thread and seriously think about what your next pic in London will include

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=78425

EDIT -

BTW nice pic

At a GLANCE? It looks like an H & K MP5 which is capable of select fire.
Interesting photo wintoid, Thanks for sharing.
-Bruce

Not only Britain, you see cops walking around with machine guns in many countrys.

Dan

I have no idea what an H&K MP5 is.
I do know that I don't like the idea of our Police force having to carry these weapons.
I live near Prestwick and fortunately I will be on holiday when the G8 heads of state arrive in July.

Most people in Scotland, and indeed the whole of the UK, just don't see the police walking around with guns.
I know our American cousins will find this hard to believe but it scares me to see police officers with guns.
It's a reflection on our society and it worries me.

I am a retired American cop, just to give my comments perspective.
Simon, too bad that so much shadow was cast on the officer's face but is is a good capture under the circumstances.
Cameron is right. It is not that the cops are armed it is that the cops need to be armed that is unsettling.
Yes American cops are almost always armed, I am still, but I would find it disconcerting for our cops to be routinely and casually displaying assault rifles and other such advanced weapons.
'Tis a sad photographic comment on society indeed.

Thanks all for your comments, and glad the photo stimulated some discussion. As I shoot these things on my lunchbreaks, the sun is always high in the sky, and often bright, which isn't great for photos. I was actually genuinely nervous talking to the guy, and especially because of some of those things written in Amateur Photographer recently. As a result, I didn't think about the shot very much, but simply grabbed it quickly. I even forgot to put the hood on the lens (Tamron 28-75 @28mm f/5.6 if you're interested).

A couple of thoughts from me...

In general our police are unarmed, and we do have a lower rate of gun crime than some other countries. Having said that, I believe gun crime in the UK is rising sharply. But from what this guy said, his carrying of the machine gun was not related to gun crime, but to potential terrorist threats.

I wouldn't be so shaken if it was a rifle. I could understand the reasoning. Pick off a terrorist from a distance etc etc. But a machine gun is for close range isn't it? At long range it's inaccurate, and sprays, right? So in densely packed crowds there would be a lot of casualties, surely.

Simon
What your bobby is carrying is indeed a rifle. It is a shoulder fired weapon. In this case it is capable of a very rapid rate of fire. You shoot it much like you shoot your camera. In order to be effective with it you must shoot it accurately, not just spray it around like a garden hose. Any responsible agency will only supply such weapons to highly trained men. The good guys care about what they hit, the bad guys don't.
Please don't think ill of the man just because he is equipped with the best tool available for the job. That would be akin to thinking ill of the photographer that is using a 20D versus your film camera.

Oh I don't think ill of him at all, he was very pleasant. I believe our police are extremely well trained, and he spoke very firmly with confidence, whilst taking time to explicitly tell me that it was nothing to be worried about. Do you think a machine gun is the best tool for the job though? I have absolutely zero knowledge of guns, so I wouldn't know.

Simon, it is not a 'machine gun' in the classic sense. It is capable of selecting between full or semi automatic fire and I believe auto burst (a limited number of full auto shots). A weapon like the one he is carrying is the most effective weapon for what he is doing. It is best used in middle to close quarters against bad guys with similar weapons. You sure do not want the good guys out gunned by the bad guys.
My guess is that there are also snipers somewhere you don't see them that can surgically reach out and touch someone. They would be using a more classical type of rifle.