12 year old arrested

[Pixxie7]

Do you think the police acted appropriately given that they had a tip off that a boy was waving a gun around.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

I’m intrigued to know how people seem to know the colour of the toy and everything

Because it was shown in the interview? And it's not a toy.

A BB guna is a toy. Where do you think it was purchased from??

@WhereAreAllTheTeaspoons

Joebloggsss

There is a picture of the gun in the BBC article... it's easy to see how it could be believed to be real, it's hardly a bright blue and orange nerf gun..

On the clip I just watched I didn’t see an image. To be honest at night a nerf guns through a blind would look similar?

I do think the police did the right thing but I really feel for the family it must have been terrifying.

OnGoldenPond that is ridiculous that the police reacted like that, surely a report of a gun being fired is far worse than someone holding one
In my opinion he was dealt with far too leniently because he was white rather than this incident being far too harshly dealt with because he was black.

Possibly, but the gun in question is a small hand gun type gun, dark blue on top, the rest black. No orange bits, no bright colours. Tbh if I saw anyone holding it I would be quite uncomfortable and probably make my self scarce before calling the police.
I have no idea how to attach the photo from the article, sorry.

This is a BB gun website. It specifically says they are not toys

www.justbbguns.co.uk/airsoft-guns/best-airsoft-bb-guns-for-kids/

That poor kid. Traumatising him over a toy, that is disgraceful.

Watched the video interview and haven't changed my mind

Police 100% right in how they handled it

Mother needs to parent

My 12 year old would a) be in bed at midnight and b) not be playing with a replica gun

WTF do the apologists expect the police to have done

Take the boy a lollipop

A BB guna is a toy. Where do you think it was purchased from??

How would I know where they bought it? But it's not described as a toy within the relevant legislation.

It seems the police can’t win sometimes, hypothetically supposing someone had been shot and the police did nothing would that be ok?

This is 2020 - toy and gun do not go together in the same sentence.
So yes, anyone with a gun should be arrested.

Two instances here of children killed by air guns. They're hardly toys are they? Plus there's legislation that covers them - again, how's that a toy?

www-thesun-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/7895837/air-gun-law-uk-licence-safety-requirements/amp/?amp_js_v=a3&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=15956360204293&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fnews%2F7895837%2Fair-gun-law-uk-licence-safety-requirements%2F

it was the last day of term, so not surprising he was up late.
but the mother is remiss in not seeing the possible dangers.
this is an inner-city area, with much crime and gangs.
no-one should have an item like this. how could he even use it legally.
there is no where near there that is more than 25 yards from a public area. most homes have no gardens, a few have tiny yards.
maybe the mother needs to raise her awareness.

I wonder what would have happened if the boy had went outside with that 'toy' tucked into his waistband?

How exactly does someone 'play' with a BB gun in a terraced house?

The police took it to far this could (and was) be a malicious report and they wasted all that time
What they should have done is found out who lived at the address first..

Camden is mostly a white area..and Camden/Islington police are known for abusing their power.
If it was any other police force I don't think this would happen.

My friends son hot the same "airsoft" BB gun via an online seller when he was 15. He just ticked the overc18 box. They are white do no racial concerns,but for the very reason it looks like a real gun from the distance she disposed of the thing immediately as she thought it could cause an incident if someone unwittingly mistook it for a real weapon. She was furious at her son as she thought it was irresponsible and stupid!!)
They fo look very tesl ftom a distance and yes, if I saw someone with a gun through the window, id report it, you vouldnt be dire how old that person was and icepuldnt expect a place officer to endanger themselves retrievjngvthevyhing. Of course it was appropriate behaviour. He shouldnt have had the thing. Not a toy

Sorry.Late night gobbledygook. The old brain is malfunctioning again😬

Jesus Christ.

This is like USA. We don't want to go there, surely.

They, what. Stormed the house with loads of armed police because a boy in the house in year 7 was sitting on the sofa with a toy gun?

That's really heavy handed.

The upshot is that this black family in London and anyone who knows them will trust the police even less.

I have had bad experiences with the met and I'm a middle class white woman. I don't trust them. At all. They make me nervous.

Fuck knows the experiences I'd have had if I was someone else.

Fu. Kin. Ell.

Perfectly reasonable and expected Police response based on legitimate concerns as seemingly a possible and increasingly plausible circumstance.

Unsurprisingly specialist armed Police response increasingly required to face an ever challenging lethal socio economic norm in certain areas with customary gun related violence. I would question the reasoning behind need to own and play with an imitation gun? Surely other children pastimes are available and more age appropriate.

How exactly does someone 'play' with a BB gun in a terraced house?

The same way children have played with toy guns since guns were invented.

WTF do the apologists expect the police to have done

Take the boy a lollipop?

A Cream Egg is the usual suggestion.

Shinyfootball@ how is this like the USA he wasn’t just sitting on the sofa lives could have been at risk. Should they have just knocked on the door and asked politely if there was a gun on the premises?

He was a year 7 child with a bb gun in his own home.

Their house was stormed by so19 FFS.

Because someone reported a 'black male' (child).