Angel Police Critical of Islington Gazette Over WhatsApp Anti-Terror System

Police in Angel are left unimpressed after local news outlet, Islington Gazette, “have printed inaccurate and misleading information,” according to Sergeant Chris Walsh.

The Gazette published that the mobile phone messaging group will be used for urgent police alerts and sharing images of people in the area suspected of being extremists, causing a stir within the community. However Sgt Chris Walsh declares this is not the case, he says: “Officers in Islington are not sharing photos of suspected extremists via WhatsApp.”

The Angel Business Improvement District (BID) have set up a WhatsApp group for sharing information and advice in the event of a local terrorist incident with local businesses, in response to the business community’s request for an additional method to share such information.

The WhatsApp group members are local businesses’ security managers and branch managers. Officers in Islington are able to use the WhatsApp group to share advice with these members if a terrorist event were to occur.

Sgt Chris Walsh of the Metropolitan Police says the Gazette were, “attributing quotes I did not make,” and “to date [the WhatsApp group] has also been used to share general advice on what to do in the event of a terrorist incident.”