Over the top policing in Pitsmoor

The residents of Nottingham and Rising Streets in Pitsmoor who were awake at 0600 on Friday morning [02 September 2005], witnessed an armed raid on an address on Nottingham Street.

South Yorkshire Police were there in force. From [a limited view in] my house in Rising Street I could see seven armed officers, two sniffer dogs, four police vehicles and numerous other officers. The police vehicles were positioned to block both Nottingham Street [thereby blocking the 47 and 48 bus routes] and Rising Street.

So what had happened that warranted such a show of force? It seems that the raid was associated with a recent shooting on Earsham Street, and turns out to be a case of mistaken identity. The target of the raid was a 16-year-old black young man who happens to have the same streetname as the perpetrator of the shooting. He was not in the house at the time of the raid.

My family was awakened by noises outside my house. My daughter came and woke my partner and I. I went to look out of my window and was shocked to see two armed officers in *my* yard pointing their guns at my long-term neighbours' house. I then noticed the further five armed officers in the next yard and wondered what the hell was happening. My immediate concerns were for my neighbours -- questions flashed through my mind: "How will Grandma react?", for example. I went downstairs and unlocked my back door and was confronted by one of the two men in my yard. I was told to shut my door "for my safety" and I instantly thought: "Just who is it that's making this situation unsafe? My neighbours who I've known for over a decade or a bunch of anonymized, [yup: no visible numbers] kitted-up, kevlar- and black-clad coppers?".

We got a digital camera together and whilst other members of my family were looking out of other windows, I started taking photos and shooting a few small video clips.

Whilst trying to record the events, I was told in no uncertain terms to "Put that camera away!", when I questioned the officer why, I received no rational response, but just another barked order to stop taking photos [I continued].

While this was all happening, the police banged on the door shouting "Armed police". Grandma answered the door and told the officer that only she and her daughter were in the house. She went to talk to the officers. I didn't see Mum leave [as i went downstairs to another viewpoint]. I then saw a sniffer dog sent into the house followed by the armed officers. After some time they exited and were replaced by what appeared to me to be a search team [rubber gloves, boxes of equipment etc]. It was also at this point that I saw Inspector Jon Ekwubiri, clipboard in hand] directing operations on Rising Street, I don't know whether he was present through the whole operation. I also didn't know what was happening elsewhere as I was still stuck in my house.

In the days following the incident, I got the chance to talk members of the family about the incident. I mentioned earlier that the youth was not present at the premises when the police made entry into the house. The youth had in fact seen the police prescence from further down Nottingham Street, and when he realized that his Grandma's house was the one surrounded, he identified himself to the police officers. To help avoid trauma to his family and others, he offered his key for access. I did *not* see this key used for access.

At this point, the youth was taken to Attercliffe Police Station, where after contacting his solicitor, he was interviewed at around 1500, eventually being bailed at 1730 [nearly twelve hours after the original incident].

Grandma was sufficiently affected by the incident, that she did not stay at the house all weekend and sought medical help.

The family's reactions to the incident will hopefully be the some of the material for a further article as the legal process grinds through its course.

I rang Inspector Ekwubiri [who has responsibility for policing in Burngreave and Fir Vale] at 1630 on Friday, for his comments on the raid, but I reached his answering machine. At the time of publishing the Inspector had not returned my call. I will report further here if and when he does.

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The above was written in the three days immediately following the incident. I had still not received a return call from the Inspector. On Saturday 10 September, I was working a stall at Abbeyfield Multicultural Festival Part II and spotted Inspector Ekwubiri and took the opportunity to have a brief chat with him. I hope to be interviewing him over the next couple of days and will, of course, report here.