A man has been arrested in the U.K. for allegedly trying to arrange a city-wide water gun fight using his BlackBerry.
A 20-year-old man from Colchester, Essex was charged under the Serious Crime Act of 2007 for the alleged call to super soakers arms, the Essex Police reported on their website.
The unidentified accused was held with another 20-year-old man, Essex police told the Toronto Star. The second man was released without charge.
Many took to Twitter thinking the statement was a joke.
“I’m thinking of having a water fight with the kids but i (sic) don’t own a blackberry.will (sic) I be OK??” one Twitter user posted on the police force’s Twitter feed.
“My neighbour has just bought a Mini. I am certain they are planning a daring gold heist,” another Twitter user added.
But the Essex police force assured social media users that the arrest was no laughing matter, tweeting “Re water fight comments — police believe there may be more involved in light of recent disorder.”
“Obviously we are alert in general to the fact that people may try to cover there tracks by describing one planned activity as something slightly different,” Chris Lane, press office manager with the Essex Police, told the Star.
While public water fights have gone off peacefully in the U.K., a 2008 water-slinging event arranged over Facebook led to three children being sent to hospital with suspected concussions and broken bones after knives were pulled in London. Two hundred and fifty people had gathered in Hyde Park an attempt to cool down with water guns and bottles.
Police would not release information on the number of people the accused had allegedly contacted through his BlackBerry to arrange the water fight.
The man has been given conditional bail and is due to appear in court on September 1. If found guilty he could face “significant penalties under the Serious Crime Act,” Lane told the Star.
BlackBerry’s secure and virtually untraceable messaging system was the tool of choice for looters coordinating their actions during the recent London riots, with one British MP calling on the phone’s instant-messaging service to be suspended until the violence subsided.
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced in the House of Commons last Thursday that his government was “working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality.”
Britain has some of the strongest laws in the world warranting the interception of phone, email or online messages by police. Forces can access messages in the broadly-worded name of “detecting crime or preventing disorder.”
Essex police would not comment if they had increased their surveillance of BlackBerry messages since the riots.
The alleged water fight isn’t the only matter keeping the force busy.
“Police searching for owner of yellow and blue budgie found flying around Co-op in Westcliff on Friday. Is he yours?” the force tweeted before announcing the 20-year-old’s arrest.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
A 20-year-old man from Colchester, Essex was charged under the Serious Crime Act of 2007 for the alleged call to super soakers arms, the Essex Police reported on their website.
The unidentified accused was held with another 20-year-old man, Essex police told the Toronto Star. The second man was released without charge.
Many took to Twitter thinking the statement was a joke.
“I’m thinking of having a water fight with the kids but i (sic) don’t own a blackberry.will (sic) I be OK??” one Twitter user posted on the police force’s Twitter feed.
“My neighbour has just bought a Mini. I am certain they are planning a daring gold heist,” another Twitter user added.
But the Essex police force assured social media users that the arrest was no laughing matter, tweeting “Re water fight comments — police believe there may be more involved in light of recent disorder.”
“Obviously we are alert in general to the fact that people may try to cover there tracks by describing one planned activity as something slightly different,” Chris Lane, press office manager with the Essex Police, told the Star.
While public water fights have gone off peacefully in the U.K., a 2008 water-slinging event arranged over Facebook led to three children being sent to hospital with suspected concussions and broken bones after knives were pulled in London. Two hundred and fifty people had gathered in Hyde Park an attempt to cool down with water guns and bottles.
Police would not release information on the number of people the accused had allegedly contacted through his BlackBerry to arrange the water fight.
The man has been given conditional bail and is due to appear in court on September 1. If found guilty he could face “significant penalties under the Serious Crime Act,” Lane told the Star.
BlackBerry’s secure and virtually untraceable messaging system was the tool of choice for looters coordinating their actions during the recent London riots, with one British MP calling on the phone’s instant-messaging service to be suspended until the violence subsided.
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced in the House of Commons last Thursday that his government was “working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality.”
Britain has some of the strongest laws in the world warranting the interception of phone, email or online messages by police. Forces can access messages in the broadly-worded name of “detecting crime or preventing disorder.”
Essex police would not comment if they had increased their surveillance of BlackBerry messages since the riots.
The alleged water fight isn’t the only matter keeping the force busy.
“Police searching for owner of yellow and blue budgie found flying around Co-op in Westcliff on Friday. Is he yours?” the force tweeted before announcing the 20-year-old’s arrest.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
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