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Just a thought and I wondered if any members might be able to shed any light - is anyone aware of an Enforcer ever actually being used in action to shoot a crim at all since it was introduced?
I've never come across an instance - also when did it go out of service and do the plod now have a sniping capability? After all at that siege in London with the shotgun wielding solicitor recently ended with a hail of ill-aimed bullets seemingly from their mp5 carbines.
Someone will probably post that photo of an Enforcer on the perimeter of the Iranian Embassy siege, but of course no Police were involved once command had been handed to the Army.
There is no documented or anecdotal evidence I am aware of which lists use of Enforcers or other specific types of rifles by the Police. Most modern (post-1980s) incidents appear to have involved MP5s or pistols. Its probably linked to the way Police have to issue authority to use certain types of weapon: I imagine that the sort of long-range stand-off that might require a rifle is extremely rare, and that even then any shooting is done at very close range - UK is a tiny crowded country, and most Police situations occur in dense urban areas. Apart from shooting the odd escaped animal, I'd be surprised if the UK Police have ever used a rifle calibre in action....
They took out a rampant bull in Exeter. We (the Army) don't accept the notion of Police 'snipers'. Good shots, yes - but snipers, NO. Snipers were trained at Hythe, Warminster and Brecon. What ranges would their battlefields extend to is the pertinant question?
Well I know the current lot are more adept at shooting each other than criminals, but do they have any sniping (or good shooting) equipment at the moment bar a lucky shot with an mp5?
It understood that Plod who look after Stanstead Airport have 50cal rifles. The intended scenario is to shoot out aircraft tyres. Stanstead is the UK destination for hijacked aircraft. The mind boggles at the prospect...................
It's my understanding that they were deployed at the Balcombe Street siege.
A 50 for knocking out aircraft tyres.......... It's mind boggling. One who came to Warminster suggested that the UGL (rifle underslung grenade launcher) would be a useful tool '....for putting doors in'. Putting doors in...., it'd knock the xxxxing house down!
I know of some who use the Remmy 700, PSS of course. There are apparently some .338AI's for the tyre bursting trick at Manchester, the theory being the operation could be carried out from the Airport perimeter. Hmmm, let's just think about the safety template for the .338 for a minute:eek:
I was once told by a Police officer from my club they call their 'Snipers'
rifle officers
i believe the course is only 3 weeks and he did his at Hythe (Kent).
Main skills are shots at a maximum of 300yds and from different angles and heights, urban and rural.
The Animal guns are different from the 'bad boys' guns mainly large calibre expanding ammunition (hunting rifles)
Most police use H&K G36 & Mp5 with H&K 416 capability
AI's and Sig's and some PSG9's Sako's RPA's ... and on and on.
I am reminded of the "siege at Sidney street" where the police were "well armed" with .22 single shot rifles.
A far cry from the "Bow Street Runners" who had a pistol, short sword, and truncheon.
The bow street runners had single shot muzzle loading pistols.
The ram rod was removed so they only had one shot !
Inspectors had Pistol, ramrod and more ammo !!!!! :confused:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/deleted.gif
Here is that picture!!
If you could pin down exactly which number this Met(?) Enforcer was, I wonder what price the rifle would be worth with such provenance...?Quote:
Originally Posted by enforsore
I was thinking the same thing but the Met had a total of 45 Enforcers so it might be a little difficult, although perhaps not impossible, to pin down exactly which rifle it was.
The Met received the following shipments
12 Rifles on the 20th December 1973
21 Rifles on the 11th January 1974
12 Rifles on the 22nd January 1974
Cheers,
Simon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderbox
I have a list of Met Enforcers as of 1984
with serial numbers and scope numbers, and a list (1) of the ones that were broken.
I have 46 ? on my list supplied by the Met
wonder where they got the other one from !!!!!!!!:confused:
Unless the broken one (crack in rifle body) was sent back.
Just came across this interesting - to me at least - item. Probably nothing new to most people here but I thought it might add to people's knowledge - from the Metropolitan Police Authority minutes from 2002 about the Met's firearms equipment and training.
The current sniper rifle is the Steyr SSG.
MPA: Committees: MPA reports - 28 Feb 02 (10a)
To edit - you're looking for appendix 3.
I think they have changed some since 2002; in 2005 when they 'nicked' (arrested for our foreign friends) the 21st july attempted bombers there was this photo of a Met rifle officer with what looks like an Accuracy international Ae or Aw rifle.
Why has the dipicted 'sniper' got a bloody gas mask on :confused:
We need to clear this up. The Police might use snipers rifles but they are not snipers. Good shots or even marksmen yes - but snipers, NO
I think they are refered to as rifle officers within the police.
I seem to remember that they had filled the block of flats with CS Gas.
And i presume he didn't want to be crying as the building was 'off gassing' and had to take a shot at the same time.... Just a thought
Would not have been easy to do with the gas mask on!:help:Quote:
Originally Posted by enforsore
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibbs505
Either that scope has plenty of eye relief or the shooter has a rather reduced field of view! (WWII USMC snipers using 8x Unertl equipped '03's generally left the scope forward of the bolt handle (for speed) and shot with much of their field of view gone!) He also seems to have his head rather rolled over, but if it works, it works. Just not something you'd want to discover and have to deal with for the first time on an actual deployment!
ETA Feller's got no elbow pads or other useful gear for a long standoff, looks like he was called up while off duty!
I always figured the Enfield's low comb would come in handy when Gasmasks were necessary. Also when winter gear with hats with cheek flaps or helmets with chin straps in place (before they discovered chinstraps broke necks that is).
The cheek piece of the Sniper Rifles eliminate that useful feature though. A good reason to have fully adjustable, or quick detachable, cheek piece for the purpose.
I assume that the embassy did not move after the siege and is still in the same place to this day? If so, I think I worked out using Google Earth which building the marksman was on, just north west of the junction of Moncorvo Close and Ennismore Gardens, with a 160 yard shot. Yes, I was bored.Quote:
Originally Posted by enforsore