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RAF personnel ordered not to wear uniforms in public after abuse
Troops at RAF Wittering in Peterborough have been told to keep a low profile after taking advice from RAF police. The move - which has come to light after a Birmingham man was jailed for planning to kidnap and behead a British Army soldier - was described as a "sad day for the city" by mayor Marion Todd. She said: "I honestly think it's despicable. It's a sad day for the city and for the country when the RAF can't wear their uniforms, particularly when they hold the Freedom of the City honour. "A small minority of people shouldn't be able to dictate to us, particularly at the moment when we are so proud of what [the forces] are doing, serving Queen and country." Cllr Todd, whose great-nephew, James Goldthorpe, is serving in Afghanistan with the Army, added: "The vast majority of people are right behind them and know that they are just doing their jobs. This is a slight against them and the many families with young people out there." RAF Wittering, one of the oldest flying stations in the RAF, imposed the uniform ban in the city after incidents stretching back over about seven months. The Cambridgeshire base has enjoyed friendly ties with its civilian neighbours ever since it was established in 1916 as Stamford airfield. It has undergone a number of changes in succeeding decades. It became the "Home of the Harrier" in 1968 until 2006 when its main role changed to be home of the RAF's Logistics Hub. Base spokesman Squadron Leader Tony Walsh said a number of personnel who lived in the city and its outskirts had suffered abuse when openly wearing their uniforms. The verbal attacks had come from a "cross-section" of the community, he added, and were believed to be linked to the RAF's current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He stressed that the decision to prohibit uniforms in the city was a local one made by station commander Group Captain Atherton after she took advice from RAF police. It ran counter to the general policy of allowing uniforms to be worn more widely, which followed the easing of tensions in Northern Ireland. Sqn Ldr Walsh said: "We have tried to encourage it more since the ending of the terrorist campaign, and want the local population to see us in our uniforms, as many people don't know what they look like." Leader of the city council councillor John Peach, said: "It's a sad development.
The uniform ban was imposed after Parviz Khan, from Birmingham, was jailed after he was recorded planning to kidnap and kill a British Army soldier.
Posted by: lotp 2008-03-06 |
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