'Batman' breaches Buckingham security LONDON - A protester dressed in a Batman costume scaled the front wall of Buckingham Palace on Monday and perched for more than five hours on a ledge near the balcony where the royal family appears on ceremonial occasions.
Batman, aka Mr Jason Hatch, 33, is a member of the Fathers 4 Justice group, which is campaigning for greater custody rights for divorced or separated fathers. His banner read: 'Superdads of Fathers 4 Justice: Fighting for your right to see your kid'. -- AP
His success in climbing the wall in front of the queen's main residence prompted fresh questions about the much-criticised and recently overhauled royal security operation.
'It's not good enough and we want to know how this happened,' Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens told the British Broadcasting Corp.
Asked if the breach was embarrassing for authorities, he replied: 'There's no doubt it is. I've asked for a full report as soon as possible on my desk tomorrow morning.'
The protester was identified as Mr Jason Hatch, 33, from Gloucester, a member of the Fathers 4 Justice group, which is campaigning for greater custody rights for divorced or separated fathers.
Two police officers in a cherry-picker crane removed Mr Hatch from the ledge at about 7.15pm (1815 GMT), five and a half hours after he climbed up. Wearing a white helmet, he waved and clapped as the crane lowered him to the ground.
No member of the royal family was at the palace on Monday. Queen Elizabeth II was at her Balmoral residence in Scotland.
Fathers 4 Justice members said Mr Hatch and an accomplice dressed as Batman's partner, Robin, had easily climbed a palace perimeter fence using an extendable aluminum ladder to climb the side of the palace to the balcony while fellow protesters distracted police by creating a disturbance at the palace's front gate.
Home Secretary David Blunkett, speaking in the House of Commons, defended the security operation, saying that a system of alarms and cameras installed after the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks had quickly alerted authorities to the protesters' presence.
Police determined that the men were protesters, but would have shot them if they had been terrorists, he said. Officials will urgently review security to see if any further measures are needed, he added. -- AP
Source: The Straits Times Interactive
