Naughty but nice

The Insider was somewhat taken aback to read in the Daily Telegraph that parents have been told not to buy their children a toy gun for Christmas, in case a police marksman mistakes it for a real weapon and shoots them. Senior officers in Essex are quoted as having said that plastic guns are now so realistic that even a trained police marksman may not be able to tell it’s a toy, leading to potential confrontations between armed officers and children.

Feeling the force

A spokesman for the force stated: “When we respond to…incidents we cannot always identify whether a gun is real or fake. Carrying an imitation gun could ultimately result in a highly-trained armed officer having to challenge a teenager and so, naturally, we are worried.”

Hold your horses

In February this year, according to the Telegraph, a couple’s “Cowboys and Indians” fancy dress anniversary party sparked a police raid, including a helicopter, when their toy guns were mistaken for the real thing,