Highland Big Issue seller fears getting caught in armed cop crossfire
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A BIG Issue seller fears he could be hit by a stray bullet if armed police swoop in the heart of the Highland capital.
Daniel MacKenzie claims firearms officers patrol the area which serves as his main pitch at least twice a day and he sees them as an occupational hazard.
The 34-year-old spends up to eight hours a day standing on the High Street in Inverness and is scared he could be caught in cross fire.
He said: “I see them walking up and down here with their live ammunition at least twice a day and I don’t feel safe. It just makes me feel uneasy.”
Politicians of all parties have raised concerns about officers carrying firearms in the Highlands since the publication of a photograph in July of three officers patrolling Inverness High Street armed with Glock 17 semi-automatic pistols.
But Scotland’s Chief Constable Sir Stephen House told the council’s deputy leader David Alston that he stood behind his decision to roll out the policy across all parts of Scotland, arguing that the public had a right to the same level of protection regardless of where they lived.
Police Scotland will not say how many of the country’s 275 trained firearms officers were authorised in April 2013 to carry handguns in a holster while on run-of-the-mill patrol in the north.
But a police source revealed 30 armed officers were based in the Highlands and Islands, of which 17 are in “the Inverness area”.
Prior to the new ruling, which only came to light in June, police guns were locked in cabinets in the boot of patrol cars.
The police force has defended the policy, saying 275 officers are armed across Scotland “so the other 17,000 don’t need to be”.
However, Mr MacKenzie, of Craigton Avenue, South Kessock, believes armed police are not needed.
“They shouldn’t be allowed to carry guns,” he said. “What happens if someone gets injured. It could be me, I’m here all day, every day, except Sunday. I think the people in this street are in danger.”
The street seller is raising his concerns with the Scottish Police Authority.
The organisation, which holds Sir Stephen House to account, this week urged people to air their views on the controversial armed police policy.
The (SPA) wants them to submit views and evidence that will be scrutinised by a specially convened scrutiny inquiry.
