Demonstrations are expected as one of the world's largest arms fairs opens in London's Docklands later.

The biennial Defence Systems and Equipment International is due to take place amid tight security.

Activists from a separate group, Disarm DSEI, will hold another protest and warn they will target the banks and firms which invest in the industry. The group also says it will not co-operate with police ahead of its demonstration.

Yep.

My patch.

Loads of people, some of them perhaps reasonably annoyed.

Quite a few police, some bodyguards.

If the police do some kettling there could be a fair few collapses/illnesses/injuries.*

So you would think that we in the LAS would have some sort of plan, something that those of us working in the area would be privy to.

I've not seen a single memo, bulletin, policy or plan concerning this.

However in the latest bulletin I have learnt that the 'Equality and Diversity' department is changing it's name to 'Equality and Inclusion' (something to do with the future).

Oh well, it'll be interesting seeing how the next few days play out.

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I'm not saying that there isn't a plan, just that I'm completely unaware of it - and the officer I spoke to yesterday was also unaware of any plan.

*Stationary kettling is, in my opinion, a bloody stupid idea and probably against the law.

A round up of recent media stories about ambulances and the talk of the ambulance loading bay at the hospital the other night.

Dozens of patients were removed from hospital wards after two ambulances caught fire and exploded.

I'm glad there were only minor injuries.

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Bottle thrown at ambulance on emergency call

“We were on blue lights on the way to a call and we heard an explosion. The next thing we were covered in glass – it was everywhere”

Ambulance bicycles stolen in the City

The London Ambulance Service is appealing for the return of two cycle response pushbikes after they were stolen from outside the home of a patient in Finsbury. The custom-built Specialized Rockhopper mountain bikes were taken yesterday evening (Wednesday) from Joseph Trotter Close, EC1, after staff had been called to attend a man who was unwell.

Which sort of sums up how some 'members of the community' treat ambulance services.

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Woman Dies In Pub After Paramedic 'Delay'

Then there is this, which is very sad - but I know that there are certain pubs in my area that I hate going into because, well, people get killed in them. Once more it's a case of 'blame the person who wants to survive their shift'. And once more, as usual, the blame is being put on 'health and safety' - at which point I'd like to tell those commenters that if they would like to live without health and safety legislation I'll be seeing them later in the back of my ambulance.

This sort of story is happening more and more - I really should just do one blog-post that I can refer to when another similar story happens.

Incidentally, can someone explain the laws of grammar that have newspapers 'quoting' their own stories? I always read it as indicating sarcasm.

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The current gossip outside the A&E department the other night was how there is a local estate where someone seems to have taken a shine to shooting at ambulance crews with an air pistol. Apparently the official advice is that if you get a call there the crew should wear their stab vest and safety helmet.

This is the sort of 'welcome' that we are dealing with.