Britons back arming officers to tackle terror

staff reporter,London(wp/es): Britons want thousands of armed police deployed on the streets to protect against a terror attack. A poll has found that 58 per cent believe officers should be routinely armed, a move which would radically change the face of British policing. The BMG Research results, which exclude “don’t knows”, showed that 42 per cent were against ditching the long-held tradition of beat officers not carrying guns. More worryingly, two thirds of the public voicing a view believe the police and security forces are not sufficiently ready to respond to a Paris-style attack in London or another part of the UK. This stark finding was almost double the 34 per cent who think they are. “Across all ages, and the entire country, the vast majority of residents feel that officers are not suitably prepared for an attack similar to that seen in Paris,” said Michael Turner, research director at BMG Research. “Consequently, the results also show strong support for officers to be routinely armed in a way that is perhaps most commonly seen by Britons in continental Europe.” Those aged 25 to 44, a group more likely to have young families, are significantly more supportive of arming officers, the poll suggested. Women seemed to harbour more doubts than men over whether the police, military and intelligence services are ready to counter a marauding terrorist attack here. Following the Paris massacre in which at least 130 died, Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe increased the number of armed officers on patrol in London by a third. He also signalled that this number could rise while stressing his “confidence” that the force could respond well to a multiple-site terror strike even though “it would be a great challenge”. He believes London is a safe city and has warned against a “knee jerk towards a new type of policing where everyone is armed”. Widespread arming of the police may be seen as a defeat in the battle to protect British values in the face of the threat from Islamic State and other terror groups. But if more officers were armed, then those deployed first to incidents like the recent knife attack at Leytonstone Tube stati But if more officers were armed, then those deployed first to incidents like the recent knife attack at Leytonstone Tube station could be carrying weapons. Sir Bernard, though, defended the “fantastic” response by officers who used Tasers to resolve the situation in about 12 minutes. The Met’s strategy is to respond to alerts with well-trained officers for specific threats, who will arrive in numbers if necessary and be mobile to deal with a moving threat. Just under a fifth of respondents to the question about arming the police replied “don’t know”, so if they are included in the results the breakdown is 47 per cent in favour of doing so and 34 per cent against. On being ready to deal with a Paris-style attack, 23 per cent said “don’t know”, with 51 per cent believing the police and security forces are not and 26 per cent that they are. The terror threat level in the UK is currently at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. Britain is seen as less vulnerable than Paris, Brussels and other European cities because of the expertise of the police and security services and as it does not have a land border firearms are more difficult to obtain.

A Young man. stabbed in east London

crime reporter,London(wp/es): A man has been taken to hospital after a stabbing in east London this afternoon. Police were called to reports of a stabbing in Dalston Lane, Hackney, at 2.30pm on Thursday. A Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said the male victim, who is in his 20s, was taken to hospital by ambulance. The nature of his injuries are currently unknown. One witness told the Standard one ambulance and three police cars were at the scene shortly after the incident.

PM cannot let Eurosceptic ministers campaign for an Out vote,.

political correspondent,London(wp/es): David Cameron was today warned he will be “a laughing stock” if he allows Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers to campaign for an Out vote in the European Union referendum. Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine said there would be “civil war” in the Conservative party if Mr Cameron failed to impose collective responsibility on ministers. He spoke out as MPs ganged up on the Prime Minister to allow Eurosceptic ministers such as Iain Duncan Smith to speak out against EU membership when the referendum battle is staged. “I think that would be to make the Prime Minister a laughing stock across the world,” Lord Heseltine said. “To have a civil war within the Conservative party at that time in the belief that ... the participants in the civil war are going to sit round the table and happily smile together I think is rather naive.” He said ministers who disagreed should resign from the Cabinet. And he warned that Mr Cameron’s own position would be made “very difficult” if he allowed the “bitterness that would flow” from an open debate. Mr Cameron has postponed a decision on collective responsibility until closer to the campaign, but that has encouraged Right-wingers to argue in public. Former environment secretary Owen Paterson, a close ally of Mr Duncan Smith, said it would be “incredible” to expect big-hitters to toe the line. He derided Mr Cameron’s negotiation demands as “incredibly thin”, telling the Today programme: “It will be wholly incredible for some figures in the Cabinet to campaign for that.” Graham Brady, the influential chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, said: “I don’t think anybody could possibly believe it if they were all corralled into holding a line they clearly didn’t all believe in.” The pressure on Mr Cameron grew after his key demand for a four-year curb on benefits paid to EU workers was torn apart at a summit in Brussels. Mr Cameron then signalled the In-Out referendum will be staged in 2016 anyway, prompting critics to suspect him of trying to steamroller a vote to stay. No 10 today said the Government will publish “factual” information about Britain’s EU membership before the vote, as required by the EU Referendum Act. But it denied a report that officials are already preparing a pamphlet to be sent to British households spelling out benefits of membership

a women died after car crash in kent coffe shop

staff correspondent,London(wp/es): A woman has died and four people have been left seriously injured after a car smashed through the window of a Costa Coffee shop in Kent. Emergency services were scrambled to the coffee shop in The Green, Westerham, after a car came off the road and ploughed through the window on Thursday morning. A South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) spokesman said more than a dozen ambulances attended the scene at 10.32am, along with critical care paramedics and the hazardous area response team. The spokesman added: "Our clinicians treated six patients in total, including one patient - a woman - who was sadly pronounced as deceased at the scene. "Five further patients were treated at the scene and then taken to hospital." A man and a woman have been taken to St George's Hospital, Tooting, with serious injuries and another two patients - also a man and a woman with serious injuries - have been taken to Princess Royal Hospital in Farnborough. A fifth patient, a female, has been taken to Pembury Hospital with minor injuries. A Secamb spokesman added: "Our thoughts are with all those involved in and affected by this very sad incident. "Our colleagues at Kent Police have set up a witness centre at The Grasshopper pub in The Green, Westerham and anyone with information is asked to visit the centre and speak to officers."

millions leave for Christmas break from London

staff correspondent,London(wp/es: Christmas Eve saw usually heaving areas such as Euston and King’s Cross looking all but deserted. And the few commuters who did need to travel in to the office were easily able to secure seats on the Tube. Londoners described the abandoned streets as “like a scene from [zombie apocalypse film] 28 Days Later” and “so eerie”. Finding themselves largely alone on the trains, those left behind took to Twitter to share pictures of the suddenly empty capital.

cricket:SA vs England:All rounder Chris Woakes replace james anderson

sports reporter,London(wp/es) All rounder Chris Woakes will replace injured paceman James Anderson in England's bowling attack in the first test against South Africa which begins in Durban on Saturday. Woakes, who underwent knee surgery earlier this year, will play his first test in 16 months after Anderson was sidelined with a calf injury. Alex Hales has also been included in the line-up. The 26-year-old debutant will be the eighth opener to partner Alastair Cook since 2012. While Cook's side have triumphed only once in their last 15 overseas tests, South Africa need to win the series to retain their top ranking in the test standings.

marry christmas -GOD bless us

merry Christmas bring happiness for all people across the globe .