Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

To catch a killer

Just an idle thought, really – but didn’t it take the police an awfully long time to catch up with that Cumbrian nutter, and by which time he was dead? Derrick Bird was able to continue shooting people for a good three hours, entirely unhindered. According to press reports, the tv news seemed to be aware of the route being taken by the killer and warned local villagers to stay inside. The Cumbria Constabulary is small, sure, by comparison to other forces – but it does have 1,500 officers, plus the usual complement of “Blunkett’s Bobbies”. To find and apprehend one man. I wonder what their orders were.

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