Urban Redevelopment

  
I've been playing with ideas and come up with this amended plan for East Whittington. The most noticeable change is moving the viaduct to the left hand side of the layout, expanding the area available to 'the arches'.

East Whittington

Not to scale

Here, under or in the shadow of the viaduct there could be a mini-cab office (S&S Models portakabin office), a lock up garage (doubling as Don's Dodgy Motors) and a scrap yard. Opposite the warehouse there may even be space for a stand alone, up and down pub - bit like the Lion and Unicorn in The Long Good Friday. We could call it The Governor General (sic), where a rival firm hang out.

But before I take my ideas any further for this down at heel area, I need to watch Lock Stock... again, as apart from being a great laddish movie it has some evocatively seedy locations.

Turn one of the posh shops into a jewellers and all in all, I think we could film an entire series of The Sweeney on this layout! Also, plenty of roads for army patrols and corners for cover.

Now, where should I place the obligatory stacks of empty cardboard boxes for the car chases!

Cheers
Mark
  

Killing on Ebay

Made a killing on Ebay in the form of a DVD collectors set of LIFE ON MARS for 99p!

We're returning to the streets of East Whittington in the New Year. The crime rate has rocketed as the slags take advantage of the vacuum left by the police whose hands are full, dealing with civil disturbance and growing political unrest.

But, in a smoke filled office, DCI Hacker has put together a squad of hard bitten, old style cops armed with a 1974 Ford Cortina to bring law and order back to the borough.
  

At this mornings press conference, DCI Hacker reassured the public "This is how we will extending the full arm of the law from now in East Whitington:"

Cheers
Mark
   

Operation Dyno-Rod: After Action Report

.

"We have been able to piece together the dramatic events that brought to a close the dramatic siege at East Whittington Town Hall. Based on a document obtained by the Daily Mail......"

19:15 Zulu

• Control received from Civil Power. Op Dyno-Rod cleared

19:25 Zulu

• Alpha rappel to 1st Floor Front from roof and blow in window to Small Function Suite 
• Bravo standby to blow roof cupola
• Charlie / Delta approach rear windows via Registry Office garden
• Sierra teams target windows

19:25.30 Zulu

• Alpha engage 3xTango in SMF, 6xHotels secured
• Bravo blow roof cupola and abseil into Main Function Suite
• Bravo engage 1xTango from abseil rope
• Charlie enter via rear windows into Rates Office
• Charlie engage 1xTango
• Delta enter via rear windows into Payment Office
• Delta engage 1xTango

19:26 Zulu

• Box 500 identify firing in Main Hall
• Alpha divert from 1st Floor down stairs to lobby of MH
• Alpha engage 1xTango
• Bravo move up to Mayoral Suite and Admin office
• Charlie move up to doors to MH
• Delta move up to doors to MH

19:26.30 Zulu

• Box 500 identify firing in Ground Floor Typing Pool
• Alpha move to GFTP, dynamic entry
• Alpha enage 2xTangos, secure 8xHotel
• Bravo (1&2) enter Mayoral Suite
• Bravo (1&2) engage 3xTangos, secure 6xHotel
• Bravo (3&4) enter Admin Office
• Bravo (3&4) engage 2xTangos, secure 3xHotel
• Charlie & Delta enter MH, engage DIXBY, PARSLOW, 3rd Tango
• DIXBY shoots Delta 3, all Tangos neutralised

19:27 Zulu

• Alpha clear Ground Floor West
• Bravo clear 1st Floor
• Charlie clear Ground Floor East
• Delta move Hotels to garden for processing

19:28 Zulu

• Target clear, IED in main lobby door disarmed.

19:30 Zulu

• Control returned to Civil Power 

Debrief:

1. SAS teams by Combat Miniatures (ex-Hotspur) from Stonewall Figures
2. Tangos (Terrorists) by Combat Miniatures (ex-Hotspur) from Stonewall Figures & Platoon 20 from East Riding Miniatures
3. Hotels (Hostages) by Combat Miniatures (ex-Hotspur) from Stonewall Figures
4. Rules: Cold War: 1983 from Wessex Games plus bits from others as appropriate.

.

Operation Dyno-Rod

" Good evening. We are interrupting Top Of The Pops with important news from East Whittington"

"This is Bob Langley live at East Whittington. There has just been an explosion, followed by several shots; there were then a series of smaller explosions with more shooting - which is still going on; I can clearly here an almost constant level of firing coming from the Hall. Are you picking it up on the mike? Yes, you should be be hearing the shooting as well. Its stopped now and we should be .. .no there it goes again, more shooting in the Hall and a quite final sounding shot or two there and it's gone quiet. Now I can hear ambulances heading this way. Something has happened, something very dramatic indeed....I can see DCI Hacker, a man in a grey suit and an army officer heading this way. We have an anouncement I think....

 East Whittington Town Hall

"As you know I am DCI Hacker; at 7.15 this evening communications with the terrorists broke down and shots were fired within the Town Hall. A body could be seen in the lobby. Control of the situation was passed to the Army. Brigadier Wallis has a short statement."

"Thank you. Following the transfer of control from the Civil Power, a well rehearsed and prepared plan was put into action to negotiate the release of the hostages by direct action. This was called Operation Dyno-Rod. A number of teams from the Special Air Service Regiment accessed the Hall at various points; resistance was met and dynamically overcome. One hostage was shot by the terrorists and one trooper was fatally wounded. Apart from one prisoner, all the terrorists were neutralised. Control has now been passed to the Civil Power - I will hand you over to Mr McTavish of the Home Office" 

"Tangos Down!"

"Brigadier, I would like to add some detail to the situation. Fourteen terrorists had taken control of the Town Hall; there were 43 hostages - many of whom were council employees. One was murdered by the terrorists prior to Operation Dyno-rod and another was shot before the SAS breached the room where many of the hostages were held. I believe DCI Hacker has some final words...."

"Yes, There will of course be an inquest into all the deaths this evening and I'm going to stamp out any speculation - yes, Miss Claire Dixby was one of the terrorists. Her precise role isnt clear she may well have been one of the ringleaders along with Richard "Rik" Parslow, the leader of "Red Spike". I'd like to thank the Brigadier and his lads for a job well done."

This is Bob Langley at East Whittington for BBC1 News"

Midshire Mayhem

.
EAST WHITTINGTON EVENING STANDARD

BANK ROBBERY FOILED

HOSTAGES SAFE

Further violent scenes in the Borough yesterday as an armed gang staged an armed robbery on the Neville Street branch of the Midshire Bank. As one man guarded the getaway van, three masked men ran into the bank, taking a customer hostage at gunpoint. Local art dealer Brian Sowell saw it all, "well, once the three gentlemen had entered the classical portico of the bank, all was quite still, apart from the screams of course. There was then a most alarming noise as a Jaguar car, driven quite obviously by a man possessed of the demon of speed, braked to a halt. Some urgent gentlemen, some exhibiting most foul ties and alarming sideburns, leapt out of the car - like Leander crossing the Hellespont - and called upon the villain guarding the van to surrender or face the consequences. Sensing that the tranquility of the urban mis-en-scene was to be further ravaged, I went into my shop and drew the curtains."

Events soon escalated - DCI Hacker shouted to the gunmen in the bank to "come out now you bunch of ponces or we'll drag you out by your knackers". At this point shooting could be heard from inside the bank and a gunman ran out of the door, firing a sawn off shotgun at DC Banham who had taken cover behind a cream Morris Minor. DC Banham was unhurt but returned fire, killing the guman instantly.

Uniformed police then arrived at the scene and entered the bank - inside the staff and customers were safe but both gunmen were critically injured, one fatally. DCI Hacker later stated "it seems that the villains fell out, panicked and shot each other. Still, saved us the paperwork".

POST SCRIPT

John Foyle was arrested for attempted armed robbery and taking and driving away a vehicle. He was found not guilty of the former charge and released on bail.

DCI Hacker described himself as "gutted" at the verdict.

Gary Malone was shot by DC Banham.

Ian Naughton was apparently shot by David Cody who is intensive care pending trial.
.

Dawn Raid at Railway Cuttings

.

EAST WHITTINGTON EVENING STANDARD

SHOOTING IN SIDESTREET
 

Residents awoke to doors breaking and shots being fired in a dawn raid that left two, including a policeman, fatally wounded. "Railway Cuttings is a quiet street" said Mr T Hitchcock, who runs a B&B, "many of my guests are artistes and just aren't used to this sort of thing. I knew the lads in number 15, they often borrowed sugar or fertiliser for their garden and once gave Miss Jacks some spare peroxide they had. They'd wave at me as I went to donate blood. But I saw this coming, Oh yes, the signs were there if you know what I mean."
 

As the Police scoured the area for forensic evidence, DCI Jack Hacker read out a statement, "This was a textbook raid, shockingly marred by the murder of DC Towle at the hands of workshy criminal scum who have now got what they deserve. We have more than eneough evidence to achieve a conviction of the surving toe-rag."
 

A Source Close to the Flying Squad revealed todays grim events to our reporter, "Well, boyo, it was like this see, the Guv he was at the front door with a fireaxe and Terry, while me and Bammo were in the alley by the back gate. The Chief had sent two marksmen along and we'd got them where they could cover the back. The Guv blew the whistle and took out the front door, Bammo opened the gate and we tore in and I took my axe to the back door. This boyo was in the kitchen and made a dash for it but I tackled him and down we went - there we were in a bit of a ruck on the floor when the Guv tanks in and kicks im in the head. That's when we heard the shots upstairs. Bammo cuffed him to the fridge and we ran like stink upstairs - thats when we heard two more shots. Turns out Terry bach had looked in the bog just as the shooter came out of the front bedroom and just shot him - then ran along the landing and opened the back window to do a runner, he was waving his .38 he was and the marksmen both got him, fair play to them. "

POSTSCRIPT

DC Roy Towle was shot in the course of duty

Stevie Watson was shot by policemarksmen, he was holding a .38 webley revolver which was proved to be the weapon used to murder DC Towle

Douglas Dawson was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, armed robbery and the murder of DC Towle. In his summing up, Justice Forsyth told the Jury that "Dawson was not holding the gun but you may wish to decide that he was as responsible as his appalling fellow thug, the unlamented Watson." Dawson was found guilty by unanimous verdict and sentenced to life imprisonment. At his trial he had a pronounced limp.
 

Chief Constable Rodney Boye of East Whittington was quoted as saying "This case has broken the legs of the wave of armed crime in the Borough".
 

Two days later two masked men armed with sten guns held up a Securicor van on Whittington High Road. The Police are appealing for witnesses and investigations are "ongoing".

.

Emergency Stop at City Cars

EAST WHITTINGTON EVENING POST

FLYING SQUAD SWOOP ON MASKED RAIDERS

Shots were fired and two arrests made when the newly formed Flying Squad intervened in an armed robbery in the Borough. Bystander Fred Barnes said "these three blokes hopped out of this Ford motor by Honest George's City Car Sales and walked up to his office and kicked in the door. One of them comes running out and gets into the motor - he had this crate of scotch in his arms but his mate was holding a chuffing great bank bag - stuffed it was. Anyway, there's this screaming of engines - like a Spitfire with overdrive, I was in the RAF in the War see, Malta an that - and up tears this Jag with blokes leaning out of the windows. The driver must have touched 50 in the last stretch down Station Road but he slammed the anchors on hard like - so he lost it and spun the Jag. Shame it hit the bollard, ruined the paintwork. One bloke leans out of the window and shouts "dont move - you're all effing nicked!" and from there it all got a bit tasty. Bullets all over the shop like Tobruk all over again - I was in the War you know."
 

Traffic Warden Eric Potts, 41, takes up the dramatic tale "Well, the villains, they opened fire on the Police Officers - the one in the car shot out of the window while his mate fired a shotgun at the driver of the Jaguar. The driver was hit but credit to the Flying Squad, they must have been shaken by the emergency stop but they all piled out. The lad holding the cash bag just legged it as far as The Winchester Club and tore off down the alley - I'd have chased him but I got this dodgy knee. Korea you know. So this copper with this awful loud, that punk music is nothing I tell you tie, he leans over the bonnet of the Jag and shouts "armed police, give up you tarts" and a second later he shoots the guy in the car. Then this huge ginger copper - he was the driver and his arm is bleeding, he drops the geezer with the sawed off. One shot. Right messy it was."

In a later statement Flying Squad DCI Jack Hacker said "On hearing of the raid on one of the Borough's most well known businessmen, we raced to the scene and intervened; the pond life I mean suspects opened fire and after a shouted warning we returned aimed fire at the armed scum, suspects, injuring two of them. The third ran off and evaded pursuit. DS Owens received a minor wound in the exchange of fire but was instrumental in nailing one of the lowlife gits, suspects. We expect early convictions. Job done. Mine's a pint."

Post Script

Douglas Dawson (24) was released without charge following what his solicitor termed "an intensive interogation by fascist goons".

William Brown (22) was convicted of armed robbery, wounding a police officer and damage to public property (viz a table and chair) and was sentenced to 15 years in custody.

The whereabouts of Stevie Watson and £500 taken from City Cars are unknown but the Police are following up leads and a raid is imminent.

Rick Spart, spokesman for Red Spike has been released on bail.

A crate of scotch has been donated to The East Whittington Police Benevolent Fund.