A FARNHAM mother was left to feel "nervous" and "appalled" by police after seeing two youths in Farnham Park brandishing BB guns in the children's adventure play area. Last Wednesday afternoon, Lisa Wilkinson took a leisurely stroll in Farnham Park with her two young daughters, her mother and her dogs. But the pace quickened after the party were alarmed by the behaviour of two men - said to be aged 18 or 19 - acting strangely. "The park was quiet, but we noticed two men standing in the children's play area, and idly I watched them, realising they appeared to be carrying pistols, and were obviously getting their nerve up to do something," Mrs Wilkinson said. "We turned on our heels and started to walk back home, and the young men started to walk towards us but appeared to have second thoughts as we came to the park entrance. "After some discussion the other man then started to walk towards a lady who was alone, pushing a buggy, so my mother and the dogs stayed by the entrance while I took my children home and telephoned the police at 4-20 pm. My mother made sure she was seen and the lady was not confronted by the men. "The intent of the men was not known, but their behaviour was strange and the worrying situation was not helped by the fact it took 35 minutes for a policeman to phone up to ask: 'where is the children's play area?'. "After checking the park the officer phoned to say the men had gone and admitted that he wasn't surprised at my worries but said 'not to worry they probably only had BB guns. "Not knowing the difference between a BB gun and not really caring, to see anyone walking around with a weapon makes me worry for my family and the security we appear to have lost in our police force. "The policeman explained to me that the control office have to assess the risk before dispatching a unit." Mrs Wilkinson has been left both shaken and disappointed after the incident. "I'm in a rage about it, really. I don't feel it was taken as seriously as it should have been. After all, it's not something you see every day, and if people have guns in a children's play area you expect the police to be all over it. "I'm now nervous about going up to the park on my own with no-one around. What if they are there again? It's terrifying to think police support wouldn't be there. "We have come to expect a slow response from the police on matters such as stealing from gardens and loutish behaviour but when it comes to feeling your family is under threat, the protection should exist in the form of a quick response that mirrors our concerns. "I understand that the individual police person has to be protected, but who else can we call when we feel there is a serious risk?" In response to Mrs Wilkinson's concerns, Surrey Police said they received a report at 4.30pm from a member of the public reporting two youths in Farnham with what appeared to be firearms in their possession. "Surrey Police operates a deployment policy whereby every incident is graded by a number of factors which involves a dynamic risk assessment to prioritise the level of response. Within one-and-a- half minutes of receiving the call an Inspector was making a risk assessment around the police response for the incident. "On this occasion, the call handling centre had received no other calls mentioning firearms at this location, no specific threat had been made to members of the public and the youths were acting openly. As a result the incident was graded as requiring a prompt response. "A police officer was despatched and attended the location at 4.55pm. An extensive area search was carried out and no trace was found of the youths. "The target time for police attendance at a prompt response incident is one hour. Surrey Police attended Farnham Park 25 minutes after receiving the call which is well within this target timeframe. "Owning a BB or replica gun is not illegal. However, carrying them in public with the intent to cause violence is a potential offence with a maximum punishment of up to five years in prison or a fine. "Carrying BB guns in public places can seriously scare onlookers, who are usually unable to tell that the weapon is a replica. In 2006 Surrey Police received 97 calls about BB and replica guns from concerned members of the public."
