Day: December 29, 2016

Since when is it OK to have Easter chocolate in stores in December? Easter is 4 months away. We haven’t celebrated bloody new year’s yet!

Also, since when do you need tactical squad policemen with machine guns patrolling in a Leicester shopping centre?? 

Edit: So, apparently, this was planned and reported on.

Armed police to patrol busy places in Leicestershire after terror attacks in Berlin and Turkey.

Armed police officers are to patrol crowded places in Leicestershire over the Christmas period following several terrorist attacks in Europe.

The operation, which began at 7am this morning and will run until lunchtime on January 3, 2017, aims to minimise the risk to the public from a terrorist attack and provide people with a greater sense of reassurance.

A police spokeswoman said an assessment of the threat from international terrorism has not changed and remains classified as “severe”, and there is no specific information or intelligence which suggests an attack in the United Kingdom is imminent.

Chief Superintendent Ian Howick, said: “Far from alarming the public, the purpose of this change in approach is to achieve precisely the opposite – to provide greater reassurance.

“There is no specific threat to the East Midlands, but recent events elsewhere in the world have led to a change in what the public in Britain expect and want from their local police. The purpose of this change is to further minimise the risk to public and staff in and around crowded / busy public places from a terrorist attack, and to provide the public with a greater sense of reassurance by increasing our visible presence.”

So, security theatre, then.