RESIDENTS at a Leighton rehabilitation centre have hit out at the alleged gung-ho antics of armed police officers who stormed their flats on Wednesday night.

Terrified women, some with young children, and recovering addicts living at Kilgour Court, Bassett Road, were woken by the shouts of police from two armed response units who were searching the building looking for a handgun.

The ARU, accompanied by a police dog, had been called to the scene after an anonymous report saying that there had been a man standing on a balcony waving a gun at passers-by.

But when they arrived at the flats the suspected "gunman," 20-year-old Curtis Deacon, was actually under arrest for another minor offence and was about to get into a police car.

Residents say the armed officers over-reacted and began shouting at frightened tenants as they searched the premises for a weapon. In the event no weapon was found.

One man, who lives at the flats, told the LBO: "They wouldn't tell us why they were there but the officers were very aggressive. They were banging on people's doors and frightening a lot of the residents. It was very disturbing."

Two days before the drama a member of staff reported Mr Deacon for having a starting pistol, which the public are legally able to own, in his room. The tenant voluntarily handed it over to police and the weapon was taken away by an officer and destroyed.

Of Wednesday night Mr Deacon said: "I was being arrested for a shoplifting offence when the armed response unit pulled up with a dog. Someone had made a malicious call.

"They didn't need to turn up in force like that or behave the way they did in looking for this mystery weapon. I was already cuffed and waiting to go to the police station. I wasn't causing a problem, just standing there."

Another tenant said: "I opened my door and had six guns pointed at me. I was was absolutely terrified.

"I would understand that if someone really did have a gun we would want the police to turn up in force to stop them but in this case they over-reacted. Curtis was already in custody so they didn't have to behave so aggressively with the other tenants.

"They scared everyone living in the flats. One woman is 23 weeks pregnant and the shock could have caused a miscarriage.

"I don't feel safe in Leighton Buzzard any more. What sort of a town is this turning into? The pregnant woman was mugged by two youths the other day and the police have been called to Kilgour Court about five times in the last week.
"What has the place come to when children mug pregnant women? I love Leighton, and grew up here, but it seems to be falling apart."

Beds Police spokesman, Dave Cook, said two armed response units containing seven men and one dog with his handler, attended the scene in addition to two patrol officers initially called to the site.

He said that only two armed officers would have entered the flats to carry out the search and they would never have pointed their weapons at residents.

He added: "The armed response unit operates in a thoroughly professional way to do what it has to do.
"We had a report of someone at the location with a gun. Obviously it is frightening for people.

"We are sorry if residents in Kilgour Court were alarmed at our response but I'm sure that they all appreciate that their safety is our key concern.

"The deployment of armed response officers is completely appropriate in cases where a member of the public phones to say an individual is waving a weapon around and threatening to cause injury.

"As far as we were concerned this was a low key job. There was certainly no shouting or screaming."

*Less than an hour after officers left the scene a drunk smashed windows at the flats. He was later arrested and bailed.