Playground gun law: In a grim portrait of modern Britain, rifle-toting police mix with children on estate plagued by gang shootings



Bedfordshire town suffers nine shootings in four month crime wave

Police say armed patrols in place for 'foreseeable future' to deter violence



Officers with guns and dogs will also be increasing searches to find weapons



Show of force: A police officer armed with an assault rifle and a baton gun on the estate in Luton

With a heavily-armed policeman guarding the playground, assault rifle at the ready, it could be the scene of a terror alert.

In fact, this is a routine patrol just yards from a suburban primary school.

The show of force is designed to calm residents of an estate plagued by gang shootings.

In the past four months there have been nine gun-related incidents in Luton linked to the Marsh Farm and Lewsey Farm estates.

In the latest, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the back early on Saturday morning. He may never walk again.

The violence has left law- abiding families so terrified they welcome the patrols, even if they risk scaring children.

Faye Bell, 37, a mother of two, said: ‘The armed police might seem heavy-handed to some people but to us they are hugely reassuring.

‘It’s very sad that it has come to this but we need the police to be armed so they can protect our kids.’



The officers, with a dog unit, have been patrolling the estate near the rundown Purley shopping centre all week.



Marsh Farm residents told the Daily Mail yesterday that the armed patrols had given them the confidence to go outside.

Shannon Read, 17, said: ‘I don’t really come out of my house at all so it’s reassuring to know these patrols are here.



‘I knew the lad who got shot on Saturday so it has been even more terrifying recently.’

Darren Putney, 46, added: ‘Some of the children on the way to school or in the play area look frightened.



‘But the police need to make their presence known.’



The officers carry Heckler and Koch G36C assault rifles with 5.56mm calibre ammunition that can pierce body armour.

A boy walks past an armed officer as police patrol the Marsh Farm Estate after a spate of shootings

They were introduced in response to the threat of a ‘marauding’ terror attack, like the one in Mumbai involving a gang of men with semi- automatic rifles. The officer pictured also has a Heckler and Koch baton gun which fires ‘less lethal’ plastic bullets.

He is likely to have a hidden personal protection weapon such as a Glock 17 pistol.

Parents in Luton appear resigned to the patrols. Lisa Conway, 25, a mother of three, said: ‘A Taser gun is not going to be enough when you are dealing with armed gangs.’



Bedfordshire Police have also invoked Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, allowing them to stop and search without suspicion.

Patrol: Armed police with a dog walk through the Marsh Farm estate in Luton after a spate of shootings in the Bedfordshire town Reassurance: Bedfordshire Police say the patrols will be in place 'for the foreseeable future' to ensure local people feel safe and to prevent further crime

Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Richer said: ‘Obviously we are concerned that there could be further incidents and we are doing everything we can do to prevent it.’



A judge at Luton Crown Court yesterday condemned the gang violence.

Kyle Beckford, 22, was sentenced to 24 years for killing Delaney Brown, 19, by driving a stolen BMW at him last year.



Judge Richard Foster said: ‘Gang culture gives its members a sense of belonging, of self importance ... There can be no excuse for the men of this town to live in this gang culture.’







