are there more police out in London at the moment?

[buffythemuffinslayer]

I live in zone 2 and work centrally.

Every day last week I've seen policemen/women patrolling in London - cars and on foot.

I'm used to seeing them once, twice a week. Today at lunch we saw two lots - somewhere you'd expect to see a copper on Saturday night but not on a Sunday afternoon. DS 3.10 also noticed and said, 'lots of police, look mummy!' and they gave him a cheery wave.

TBH it's quite nice - makes everything feel like it's being taken care of, even if there isn't much that can be controlled.

So not really an AIBU, just wondering if anyone else has noticed the increase?

[Mammanat222]

Not noticed much difference myself. Live and work in zone 1.

[Trapper]

Not noticed any marked difference on my route. Slightly more at London Bridge, but more likely to be down to crowd control issues with all the closures. We have been at a high level of alert for a while now so Seeing armed police/ high police presence is not unusual. I estimate I see about 10 individual police officers/ CSOs on my normal commute, with 2/3of these armed. This does not include those in cars, on the river or whizzing around in the whirlybird.

[buffythemuffinslayer]

Ooh, what is the whirlybird? I like the sound of that.

Maybe it's just that I've been reading about the alert levels and am being 'vigilant' to the level advised by Charlie Brooker, so am noticing more.

I haven't been through London Bridge recently because of the crowding - opting to get the more relaxing, but longer, bus route.

[buffythemuffinslayer]

Just Googled whirlybird. Will use this in future - much more evocative.

[Redglitter]

There possibly are more this weekend for public reassurance that's not uncommon after something happens

[Sushiqueen]

Had more police at Kings Cross last week when going in and out for work. Barriers were also closed in the morning which is unusual (we are of the first trains in, so normally walk straight through).

[ChickenMe]

There's football most weekends at the moment. Palace played yesterday and so did Charlton. That would affect London Bridge?

January is quieter for Police as in its traditionally not as busy arrest wise. So more of them out and about rather than stuck in with prisoners?

[drbonnieblossman]

There are more definitely - and the Jewish police are out in relative force too.

[buffythemuffinslayer]

Kings Cross is interesting - don't go through often. Maybe because it's a link to The City? Or St Pancras?

I did read about the Jewish police - to my shame I previously had very little knowledge of them, but was very informative to read about.

Yes, maybe a combination of January, crowding and making people feel a bit more secure given recent events.

[PigletJohn]

I don't see that any particular bunch of people in the UK has any right to call themselves the xxx police.

[Quangle]

What are the Jewish police?

Just walked through Trafalgar Square with DCs. French flag is projected onto the National Gallery. And def lots of police around - more than usual.

[Bair]

'I don't see that any particular bunch of people in the UK has any right to call themselves the xxx police.'

I thought there were laws against wearing 'military style' uniforms if you weren't in police or army etc. I'm sure they got some member of Britain First that way. Do we really have police for or run by one faith?

[JeSuisCharliePan]

Jewish police - drive around in cars that look like police cars, get training and equipment from the Met police. Feel distinctly uncomfortable about this too.

[Bair]

A quick google tells me there is. Not sure how I feel about that.

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

I had no idea about The Jewish Police.

I'm not very comfortable about it now that I've had a very quick read. Which other religions would the Met consider working with in this way? Forgive my ignorance, but why Jewish and why not others?

[littleducks]

Round here they don't dress like police officers especially, but in high vis coats with CST on the back. Look like security guards/bouncers to me more than police although I have never seen under the coats

I haven't had the best experience, but that might just be around here. They control the traffic (are a bit selective in that control and not always very polite or helpful to motorists who aren't attending their venues ime) around and outside Jewish schools and synagogues.

[engeika]

Was in Piccadilly Circus this evening and there were four or five in a bunch outside the tube. Noticed several cars too. So yes more police I think.

[PigletJohn]

Having looked up CST, it is not a police organisation.

I do not know if the people who use the term "Jewish Police" seek to give it a status it does not deserve, or seek to raise anxieties by suggesting that Britain has private police forces.

[SamG76]

The CST isn't a police organisation, but it works with the police. Clearly, the police can't be at every Jewish venue, but the CST isn't a private force and its people, who are volunteers, have no powers different from any individual.

Muchtoomuchto do - Hmm, I wonder why the Jews might think they need extra protection...? possibly because Jihadi groups are lining up to attack them. According to the papers, the police work with loads of minority groups, and the CST is used as the model of how to do it.

[PigletJohn]

The Harlow Car flower festival might have traffic marshalls who work with the police. Nobody would call them the Flower Police.

[JeSuisCharliePan]

I'm waiting for the Rastaman Van.

[littleducks]

I wondered that PigletJohn, is it just lazy journalism that has ended up being copied on and on? I thought they were more like security guards than police

[PigletJohn]

the term is reminiscent of the "religious police" that some places have, e.g. to keep men and women on different sides of the street, or to beat people who are not modestly dressed.

Britain has no need for interfering busybodies single-interest police forces, and IMO it is undesirable for them to have huge budgets.