Another Armed Robbery In European Parliament!
Brussels, 4th February 2011
This afternoon the European Parliament was once again the scene of an armed robbery, for the third time in two years. The Post Office was held-up at approximately 14.15 and two suspects were allowed to get away unchallenged.
It is high time the parliament's security services got their act together. My colleagues are not only worried about our own safety, but those of staff. And clearly it sends out the wrong kind of message about security too.
The European Parliament has been subjected to three significant robberies - twice involving guns. This is an absolutely disgraceful situation, not least on a day when there is a good possibility that EU heads of state and governments could be in the building. Every time there is an incident, we hear some hollow words about how procedures have been tightened up but it seems they slacken very soon after.
We have become increasingly concerned about people in the parliament just wandering around. We have no idea who they are and what they are here for.
The security in the European Parliament has long been well-known as lackadaisical, but this is really ceasing to be a joke. It's about time something were done. This time is was a hold-up but how long before someone walks in with a bomb?
Read more about it in The Telegraph, on the BBC and The Express
