It's nothing new. Just recently publicised.They need big bikes as they may need to ride 2up. Crazy cool though!
I think they are arming more and more regular police, but I always thought anything too specialist was SO19. But then I am a long long way from having any idea what I'm talking about. I have a few friends that are Military Police, firearms coppers and SO19, I just pick up on things they say, not that we talk about it much.I can't say I would be comfortable as a pillion in an emergency response.
It wouldn't make any sense deploying a non-firearms trained officer (taxi as you say) to an incident requiring a firearms trained officer. I can't see that working on a risk assessment form and who would want to be that guy?. ;-)
This is what they have in mind......
If it wasn't for the automatic weapon hung around their necks they could be mistaken for couriers with the way they dress.
the media have a lot to answer for Lew, remember when the BBC told the argies that there was a task force made up of x y and z on the way, even down to the number of planes we had and when they could and couldn't fly (I'm being liberal here as I cannot recall the full details) but they basically put our armed forces in extreme peril due to the infohence Max Hastings......I counted them all out and I counted them all in again.....as harriers attacked and returned safely