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Multicultural bank robbery in Britain



An assault-rifle wielding robber's attempts to rob a bank were foiled by eight good Samaritans, and has now been jailed for 9 and a half years.

Police paid tribute to a collective of have-a-go-heroes who helped apprehend armed robber Al-Fodday Fofanah, 30, who tried to rob a branch of Barclays bank in Borough High Street, south London in July last year.

The gang including an off duty police officer, a trainee ambulance driver, two roofers, two security officers, a bank manager and an ice cream vendor.

Al-Fodday Fofanah brandishes the deactivated assault rifle in the Barclays bank branch before leaving and being taken down    +2
Al-Fodday Fofanah brandishes the deactivated assault rifle in the Barclays bank branch before leaving and being taken down

At the Barclays on July 25 last year, Fofanah joined the queue and waited to be served.  He was carrying a large bag and concealed his face with a sheet of paper.

The customer in front of him was an off-duty police officer - commander Adrian Hanstock from the Safer Transport Command.

When it became his turn to be served, Fofanah pulled a stocking over his face and took an assault rifle from the bag and aimed it at the cashier while demanding money.

The cashier dove behind the counter as Fofanah waved the weapon at the other cashiers, again demanding cash.

When Fofanah realised no money was forthcoming, he walked out of the bank with the gun in the bag.

Mr Hanstock, who had already left the bank, was confronted with the fleeing suspect and he tried to call for police assistance.

The commander, along with the bank's assistant manager Dean Smith and Michael Duncan - a trainee ambulance driver - followed the suspect along Borough High Street.

Other men joined in and Fofanah was eventually disarmed and held on the ground until police arrived on the scene to arrest him.

It turned out that the weapon was a deactivated assault rifle, classified as an imitation firearm.

Scotland Yard said a week earlier he had also attempted to rob a branch of Santander Bank.

Inquiries into the incident showed a second attempted robbery on July 18 at Santander Bank in Walworth Road.

Detective chief inspector Paul Johnson, of the Flying Squad, said: 'I welcome the sentence that has been handed down.

'Fofanah will now serve a significant sentence for causing fear and panic to those who worked or had visited the bank.

'A number of people assisted with detaining Fofanah following the attempted armed robbery and without their help there is every possibility that he may have got away.

'I would like to thank the members of the public who demonstrated an enormous amount of bravery in confronting Fofanah.'

He was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of attempted armed robbery and two counts of possession of an imitation firearm.

He committed both attempted robberies while in Ford Open Prison.

He was on day release when he tried to carry out the robbery on July 25, but had absconded from the prison on July 18.

He also pleaded guilty to escape from custody relating to his escape on July 18.

The good Samaritans were all recommended for a Commissioner's Commendation and received their certificates during a ceremony at New Scotland Yard in January.

SOURCE






The incorrectness of free coffee

Labour moved to head off a damaging row about its approach to successful British companies on Saturday evening when the shadow business secretary slapped down a fellow MP who had attacked Waitrose for providing customers with free coffee.

With the issue threatening to turn into an embarrassing row over Labour’s “anti-business” policies, Chuka Umunna said that Waitrose was a “fantastic” operation which should be applauded for its positive approach to employment and business issues.

As part of the John Lewis Partnership, the supermarket operates a widely praised “partnership” model where all staff have a share in company profits.

On Saturday it was revealed that Andy Sawford, Labour MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, had attacked Waitrose for offering free coffee and newspapers to myWaitrose loyalty card holders. He claimed the offer had a “stark effect” on local coffee shops and newsagents.

Mr Sawford has written to every MP with a Waitrose store in their constituency to put pressure on the supermarket to withdraw the scheme “in the spirit of fair competition”.

His attack was immediately ridiculed. Mark Price, the managing director of Waitrose, said that Mr Sawford, the shadow communities secretary, was “completely misguided”.

It was also revealed that Mr Sawford is funded by the Co-operative movement which runs the Co-op supermarkets, competitors to Waitrose.

“This is all, if you’ll excuse the pun, a bit of froth,” Mr Umunna said. “It doesn’t represent party policy, he is a constituency MP raising a local matter.

“Waitrose employs thousands of people and promotes the type of practices we want to promote. It is a great business.”

Asked if he had any problem with Waitrose providing free coffee, Mr Umunna said: “I don’t have any issue with that.”

The Conservatives leapt on Mr Sawford’s attack, which was widely seen as having backfired. “Labour is yet again showing itself to be anti-business with its absurd anti-Waitrose rhetoric – a risk to the recovery, to jobs and security,” said Matthew Hancock, the enterprise minister.

SOURCE






Mothers incorrect?

Two thirds of young women who are non-parents say that they are expected to work longer hours than colleagues with children, according to the study of 25,000 women aged 28 to 40, which will be published next month.

The resentment is especially true in the private sector, with growing “tension” between the two groups, the research found.

The report will reveal that the majority of women believe that having children could adversely affect their careers. More than three quarters of those surveyed admitted to feeling “nervous” about the impact of having children on their professional success.

Lynne Franks, the founder of women’s networking space B.Hive and speaker at the Women of the World festival taking place on London’s South Bank next weekend, said of the report. “I’m saddened to see this woman against woman trend. I work with a lot of senior women who have families and they work just as hard as those without children but they may work different hours. It’s a case of perception versus reality.”

The Project 28-40 report by Opportunity Now, an organisation that campaigns for gender equality in the workplace, shines a spotlight on the issues that plague the flexible working movement.

Almost half of the women surveyed believe people who work flexibly are resented by colleagues. Some 55pc said flexible workers were also viewed as “less committed” in their organisations. Two thirds cited flexible working as a real barrier to career progression.

“The survey responses show an uneasy tension between women who don’t have children and those who do – two thirds of non-parents feel they are expected to work longer hours than those with children – while at the same time there’s a widespread view that those who work flexibly will progress less quickly than their peers, even if their contribution is similar,” said Helena Morrissey, chairman of Opportunity Now and the chief executive of Newton Investment Managers.

She added: “These findings suggest that flexible working isn’t working. One group feels resentment, the other feels less valued.

“Overcoming this tension is entirely possible – but companies need to measure output, not hours worked and radically reassess working practices.”

The report also looked into unfairness in the workplace. It found that 52pc of women have experienced at least one form of discrimination during the past three years.

More than a quarter (28pc) have experienced unfair treatment, while 27pc have been deliberately undermined by someone overloading them with work or constant criticism.

The same proportion were victims of overbearing supervision or the misuse of power and position.

While 48pc of women have witnessed bullying or unfair treatment of a female colleague, only 28pc had seen their male counterparts suffer the same discrimination.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the  incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of  other countries.  The only real difference, however, is how much power they have.  In America, their power is limited by democracy.  To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already  very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges.  They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did:  None.  So look to the colleges to see  what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way.  It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH,   EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and  DISSECTING LEFTISM.   My Home Pages are here or   here or   here.  Email me (John Ray) here. 

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