Sodalist Guns for Anderton
Socialist Organiser1981 1981-09-24Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 16 →
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Alexis • GREATER Manchester police chief James Anderton has purchased a number of the revolutionary Heckler and Koch HK33 carbines. This weapon has the accuracy of a rifle with the manoeuvrability of a hand gun, and was used by the SAS in the iranian Embassy siege.
Both the chairperson of the Council's Police Committee, Peter Kelly, and the Home Office, expressed "astonishment' when informed. Indeed, Ander: ton himself at fust denied the guns' existence.
Friends of Socialist Org, aniser had noticed invoices, addressed to the Chief Constable, for the guns to be sent to the police HQ in Southmill St. But even when photostats of the invoices were shown to him, Anderton maintained they were fakes.
Only later did the head of the police firearms department, Det. Insp. Harry Davies, admit the existence of the guns.
Information has also been released to Socialist Organiser that the Manchester police provide free escort and protection services to the arms company 'Interarms' in moving arms and ammunition from its Salford factory to South•ampton docks. 'Interarms' sells military goods to South Africa and other "freedom-loving' regimes.
This news highlights the need for Labour councillors to use the Police Committee to demand that Anderton 'opens the books' - and for the labour movement to win control over the Labour counciliors. unions, have forced Vauxhall