• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Armed Police at Airports

Status
Not open for further replies.

LOL The Irony

On Moderation
Joined
29 Jul 2017
Messages
5,335
Location
Chinatown, New York
Mod Note: Posts #1 - #19 originally in this thread.

if someone deliberately took your bag, ie theft, then that’s a pretty brave thing to do in a security hall that is covered with cameras, scanners, and security people.
And those security people are armed with rifles that have clear magazines so you know they're not bluffing. Just post 9/11 things.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

cactustwirly

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
7,447
Location
UK
And those security people are armed with rifles that have clear magazines so you know they're not bluffing. Just post 9/11 things.

Um no they're not!
What Airport have you been to? Pretty sure it's illegal for Security to be armed, especially with rifles.
 

cactustwirly

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
7,447
Location
UK
Manchester. It has an armed police presence. They're security, are they not?

Security and armed police are completely different, one is basically a civilian and the other one is a highly trained police officer with a firearms licence.

Armed police would never do Airport security, that's done by the Airport employees.
 

LOL The Irony

On Moderation
Joined
29 Jul 2017
Messages
5,335
Location
Chinatown, New York
Security and armed police are completely different, one is basically a civilian and the other one is a highly trained police officer with a firearms licence.

Armed police would never do Airport security, that's done by the Airport employees.
Armed police are there as part of post 9/11 secuirty
 

scotrail158713

Established Member
Joined
30 Jan 2019
Messages
1,797
Location
Dundee
Never seen armed police at Gatwick, Heathrow or Stansted.
I'm sure they are there, but not hugely visible
I saw armed police when I was both flying in and out of Heathrow last year. And the same when I flew from Edinburgh at Easter. The armed police tend to just be on patrol 99% of the time from what I can remember.
 

Bald Rick

Veteran Member
Joined
28 Sep 2010
Messages
29,070
Never seen armed police at Gatwick, Heathrow or Stansted.
I'm sure they are there, but not hugely visible

You haven’t been looking then! I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see armed police at one of those three. Or perhaps they know I’m there...o_O
 

cactustwirly

Established Member
Joined
10 Apr 2013
Messages
7,447
Location
UK
You haven’t been looking then! I can’t remember the last time I didn’t see armed police at one of those three. Or perhaps they know I’m there...o_O

Maybe I wasn't looking, both times it was 6am on a Sunday morning though
 

TheEdge

Established Member
Joined
29 Nov 2012
Messages
4,489
Location
Norwich
Well I have, they have clear magazines in their SA-80's. I don't think their Glocks do (for obvious reasons- it's pistol :lol:)

I've seen plenty of armed police at airports...

*gun pedant mode*

It would not have been an SA80 unless you saw a forces member. Only the UK forces use those, most police use G36s or MP5s. And if you saw clear magazines they were probably G36s as that's one of their hallmarks.
 

LOL The Irony

On Moderation
Joined
29 Jul 2017
Messages
5,335
Location
Chinatown, New York
I've seen plenty of armed police at airports...

*gun pedant mode*

It would not have been an SA80 unless you saw a forces member. Only the UK forces use those, most police use G36s or MP5s. And if you saw clear magazines they were probably G36s as that's one of their hallmarks.
Must've been a G36. I'd recognise an MP5. I should know better, my dad is a former NRA member!
 

fowler9

Established Member
Joined
29 Oct 2013
Messages
8,367
Location
Liverpool
Don't recall ever seeing armed police at Liverpool or Manchester airports. Am sure they are about though. Saw some boss stuff in Bolivia. Police carrying what looked like Sten guns, Schmeissers and AK-47's. Can't say I am a gun fan but it was interesting. Definitely AK's.
 

Shaw S Hunter

Established Member
Joined
21 Apr 2016
Messages
2,912
Location
Sunny South Lancs
Don't recall ever seeing armed police at Liverpool or Manchester airports. Am sure they are about though. Saw some boss stuff in Bolivia. Police carrying what looked like Sten guns, Schmeissers and AK-47's. Can't say I am a gun fan but it was interesting. Definitely AK's.

Armed police have been a fixture at Manchester Airport for a long time. I made many flights from there from 1994 onwards and cannot recall a time when they were not present. But they patrol in a very low-key manner to the extent that if you are not looking for them you could easily miss them. Which is rather the point!

And it is not just a British thing. Following a series of terrorist bombings of French transport systems in 1995 armed gendarmerie became a regular sight at key SNCF stations: I was somewhat impressed to find them on patrol at Chambery station in November 1995, just at the beginning of the winter sports season.

If you ever find yourself at a station about to receive a royal visit you will likely be able to pick out officers of Royalty and Specialist Protection but look more closely and you will realise that while some are relatively overt there are more covert officers also on duty.
 

Butts

Veteran Member
Joined
16 Jan 2011
Messages
11,323
Location
Stirlingshire
Don't recall ever seeing armed police at Liverpool or Manchester airports. Am sure they are about though. Saw some boss stuff in Bolivia. Police carrying what looked like Sten guns, Schmeissers and AK-47's. Can't say I am a gun fan but it was interesting. Definitely AK's.

Second World War Vintage ?

Next you'll be telling us there were a squadron of Focke Wolfes and Hurricanes on the apron:E

I am aware of Bolivia's narcotic heritage, or had you been eating guinea pigs !!
 

fowler9

Established Member
Joined
29 Oct 2013
Messages
8,367
Location
Liverpool
Second World War Vintage ?

Next you'll be telling us there were a squadron of Focke Wolfes and Hurricanes on the apron:E

I am aware of Bolivia's narcotic heritage, or had you been eating guinea pigs !!
Ha ha, mate I said what looked like, not that is what they were. Focke Wolfes and Hurricanes would probably improve the Bolivian Air Force. Visit the place and tell me I'm wrong. Ha ha.
 

grid56126

Member
Joined
4 Sep 2011
Messages
295
Not seeing armed military at Brussel Zuid and Centraal stations is rare these days and they have some impressive weaponry usually backed up by armoured vehicles parked up nearby. Absolutely no intimidation is forthcoming, even when I have been hanging about at various platforms for a while for winners . .
 

EM2

Established Member
Joined
16 Nov 2008
Messages
7,523
Location
The home of the concrete cow
I once worked in Duty Free at Gatwick North Terminal, and after the Docklands bomb in early 1996, armed police became much more visible.
I remember one instance where a Norwegian customer had missed his flight to Oslo at 8am, and there wasn't another until 8pm. He was wandering around the terminal, in and out of the shops, generally just killing time, but at one point I saw him pick up a bottle of whisky and put it inside his coat.
I watched where he went to sit, and went to ask him for the whisky back.
'I don't have your whisky. I didn't take anything. I'm a good man!'
'You did take it, I saw you. Just give it back, and there'll be nothing more said.'
He refused, so, as I knew he couldn't really go anywhere, I left him be, thinking that I'd get security or the police to have a word when they next came around.
About an hour later, two armed policemen came into the shop. I pointed out the guy who was by now asleep on the seats, and asked if they could go and have a word with him. I didn't want a fuss or to press charges, I just wanted the whisky back. No problem, they said.
So they go over, shake him by the shoulder to wake him up, he opened his eyes, sat bolt upright and immediately delved into his coat to give them back the whisky.
When they brought it back into the shop, they were both laughing and I asked what was so funny.
The policeman said 'As soon as he opened his eyes, the colour drained from his face, he sat straight up and said 'It's only whisky! No need for machine guns!'.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top