Is it time to bring out our Special Forces?

[terrypin]

Following the recent terrorist atrocities it proves no country is safe from these fanatics.

One of our police chiefs has admitted we are vulnerable and little equipped to deal with events like happened in Paris.

This got me thinking, how would we deal with an attack on somewhere like the Trafford Centre, for instance?

The response would be little more than useless, our Aremed Response teams are few and far between with little or no training in hostage rescue and tactical breaches and certainly not close-quarter battles.

The attackers would have free reign for hours before any sort of half decent option was available and even hours more before a breach/assault could even be considered as possible.

I think it's time we utilised our special forces, strategically positioned up and down the country where they could respond within the hour(?).

They are all trained in hostage release situations and all natures of tactical breaches/assaults, this is what the train for and we are at war with an invisible army, we need to use them before it's too late and that's not far off, imho.

 

[joe-90]

Local plod would spend half the day carrying out a risk assessment, and the other half booking motorists that parked in the wrong place.
The UK Police force needs splitting. On one hand Plod dealing with a few silly drunks on a Saturday night, and a new paramilitary Police force to deal with terror. (Basically the SAS in the suburbs). I think that will happen, hence the £2 billion promised to the SAS.

 

[jockscott]

This got me thinking, how would we deal with an attack on somewhere like the Trafford Centre, for instance?

Apparently some suicide bombers targeted the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago. After getting stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam on the M60 and waiting 4 hours in the car park queue, they gave up.

 

[terrypin]

This got me thinking, how would we deal with an attack on somewhere like the Trafford Centre, for instance?

Apparently some suicide bombers targeted the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago. After getting stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam on the M60 and waiting 4 hours in the car park queue, they gave up.

Can you imagine the police chase?
5-10mph, 3 hours and only 20 miles covered.

 

[sooey]

This got me thinking, how would we deal with an attack on somewhere like the Trafford Centre, for instance?

Apparently some suicide bombers targeted the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago. After getting stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam on the M60 and waiting 4 hours in the car park queue, they gave up.

Why would they give up though? Sitting in traffic jams always makes me feel like topping myself.

 

[terrypin]

This got me thinking, how would we deal with an attack on somewhere like the Trafford Centre, for instance?

Apparently some suicide bombers targeted the Trafford Centre a few weeks ago. After getting stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam on the M60 and waiting 4 hours in the car park queue, they gave up.

Why would they give up though? Sitting in traffic jams always makes me feel like topping myself.

That's a good point, more traffic may be the answer.
They'd blow themselves up on the motorway, OK there'd be a few innocent people injured but nowhere near the 100's at the TC.

 

[JBR]

Local plod would spend half the day carrying out a risk assessment, and the other half booking motorists that parked in the wrong place.
The UK Police force needs splitting. On one hand Plod dealing with a few silly drunks on a Saturday night, and a new paramilitary Police force to deal with terror. (Basically the SAS in the suburbs). I think that will happen, hence the £2 billion promised to the SAS.

I think you may be right.
The SAS as it stands (from what I have heard) amounts to only a few hundred men and if these were spread out strategically over all of the country their numbers would be seriously reduced. To make matters worse, there are probably large numbers already in 'certain places' in foreign lands.

Assigning £2billion to the SAS is good, but how long does it train new applicants (admittedly already trained servicemen) to the required standards? Once again, our glorious leaders are doing too little and too late. They should have closed the borders, and the Chunnel, much earlier and thought about bolstering our forces and police when they were drastically reducing the numbers.

I am absolutely certain that there will be events like that in Paris before too long. The police will react, with their limited resources (providing a period of freedom of speeding for motorists and street fighting for drunks), and may catch or even kill some of the terrorists but some will inevitably escape and disappear into the ether - probably the existing muslim ghettoes of certain British cities.

 

[joe-90]

I'm expecting something worse. They've had chemical weapons floating about in Syria for decades, and ISIS seem to recruit intelligent and educated people. It's only a matter of time.

 

[HawkEye244]

To be honest why not cut to the chase with what the government really wants, a CCTV camera in every bedroom/sh1tter, and a microchip in every person. Why else would they flood the european countries with these migrants, they knew some of them would do this, how could they not have. Seems like a deliberate ploy to keep the general public on the fear cycle. Imagine what life was like before 9/11, a completely different era almost, and a nicer one. Peace always returns eventually though but for how long.

 

[handyjack]

To be honest why not cut to the chase with what the government really wants, a CCTV camera in every bedroom/sh1tter, and a microchip in every person. Why else would they flood the european countries with these migrants, they knew some of them would do this, how could they not have. Seems like a deliberate ploy to keep the general public on the fear cycle. Imagine what life was like before 9/11, a completely different era almost, and a nicer one. Peace always returns eventually though but for how long.

You are of course joking. Microchip a RoP

 

[terrypin]

We have 500ish SAS troopers, possibly a few less(?)in the SBS and then we could make up more numbers from The Paras, especially Pathfinders, Royal Marines(commandos)and the RAF regiment.

Out of the above we could make up a few units of 'force multipliers'as back-up to those from the SAS and SBS.

£2 billion and 1500 extra SAS troopers is fine as long as the terrorists will give us a 2 year breather.

The last thing we want to do is rush through recruits, lowering 'selection' standards at the detriment of the regiment, its troopers and the public.

 

[^woody^]

A few terrorists in the situation as per Paris would not require the specialist skills of special forces. It would be a waste positioning them in specific locations, waiting for something to happen.

I doubt very much that there will be a need for any hostage release negotiation either.

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

Reports suggest our armed coppers have weapons that are no match for a kalashnikov, though the weapons I saw coppers carring in Luton looked like fully automatic assault rifles. Presumably they have plans to get armed coppers on site by motor bike or helicopter, but the bad guys would have plenty of time to wipe out scores of civilians. They couldn't get someone on site for thirty minutes without huge luck, unless they have armed squads on patrol.

I can't understand why that copper said what he said publicly. He might as well have said " Dear terrorist, don't attack London, attack another city, they're not defended, you'll kill far more people". Bizarre. Maybe he lives in London. The rotten swine.

 

[terrypin]

A few terrorists in the situation as per Paris would not require the specialist skills of special forces. It would be a waste positioning them in specific locations, waiting for something to happen.

I doubt very much that there will be a need for any hostage release negotiation either.

The police would not have the firepower or the skillset needed to cope with an attack on somewhere like the Trafford Centre if the aggressors took hostages. Our police are not specialised enough for this kind of attack, they're OK for first responders securing the site/scene but not much more than that, ok, maybe taking out any perps trying to flee the scene and the odd innocent.

 

[ajstoneservices]

I can't understand why that copper said what he said publicly. He might as well have said " Dear terrorist, don't attack London, attack another city, they're not defended, you'll kill far more people". Bizarre. Maybe he lives in London. The rotten swine.

I think it was Surrey's PCC that said it not a copper.