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| Police let children handle guns | Police let children handle guns |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Firearms officers have been criticised for allowing children as young as seven to hold submachine guns during a community event. | Firearms officers have been criticised for allowing children as young as seven to hold submachine guns during a community event. |
| Youngsters were given the guns by officers from the Metropolitan Police's CO19 firearms unit as part of a fun day in Limehouse, east London. | Youngsters were given the guns by officers from the Metropolitan Police's CO19 firearms unit as part of a fun day in Limehouse, east London. |
| Anti-gun crime campaigners said police could be in danger of glamorising guns following Sunday's event. | Anti-gun crime campaigners said police could be in danger of glamorising guns following Sunday's event. |
| The Met said it would be carrying out a review into such presentations. | The Met said it would be carrying out a review into such presentations. |
| At the event, youngsters posed with Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns used by C019 officers. | At the event, youngsters posed with Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns used by C019 officers. |
| The German-built 9mm weapon can fire at a rate of 800 rounds per minute. | The German-built 9mm weapon can fire at a rate of 800 rounds per minute. |
| Are we in danger of glamorising guns? Lyn Costello, Mothers Against Murder and Aggression But critics said allowing youngsters to get so close to firearms sent a mixed message. | Are we in danger of glamorising guns? Lyn Costello, Mothers Against Murder and Aggression But critics said allowing youngsters to get so close to firearms sent a mixed message. |
| "Are we in danger of glamorising guns?" said Lyn Costello, from the group Mothers Against Murder and Aggression. | |
| "Even as we've had to examine what we're trying to do, because we go to schools and we do weapons awareness training telling kids the affects of carrying a knife or a gun, we have to sit back and think have we gone too far? | "Even as we've had to examine what we're trying to do, because we go to schools and we do weapons awareness training telling kids the affects of carrying a knife or a gun, we have to sit back and think have we gone too far? |
| "Are we in danger of making it more popular for our young people to pick up a weapon?" | "Are we in danger of making it more popular for our young people to pick up a weapon?" |
| But the Met said it supported the firearms officers. | But the Met said it supported the firearms officers. |
| "I'm not necessarily going to agree that it was the wrong thing to do," said Ch Supt Bill Tillbrook from CO19. | "I'm not necessarily going to agree that it was the wrong thing to do," said Ch Supt Bill Tillbrook from CO19. |
| "But the public perception was quite clear to me and it is that that has prompted me to review the way we do such presentations in the future." | "But the public perception was quite clear to me and it is that that has prompted me to review the way we do such presentations in the future." |
| He added: "I know what my officers were attempting to achieve - engaging hearts and minds - and the intention was honourable." | He added: "I know what my officers were attempting to achieve - engaging hearts and minds - and the intention was honourable." |