Dear ICE: If you need a mask to hide your identity while doing your job, you are not on the right side of history.

@Jackaloftheazuresand I don't know what specific incident those officers were facing but it is a very rare scene in Britain for two reasons:

Firstrly the police do not protect themselves like that unless in a very dangerous action against people likely to shoot at them. Such incidents do occur but are very rare. It would be interesting to know where and when that photograph was taken, and what the officers were preparing to take. A definite terrorist threat (rare)? Or some rogue gun-man (extremely rare)?

Secondly, the number of armed police in the UK is very small. If on duty in the open, even making an arrest, in the normal way they would be wearing only the normal uniforms. Nor would they or the public expect any different.

They do not wear all that armour and face coverings in any ordinary instance, nor carry even a hand-gun let alone semi-automatic rifles. I have seen armed police at airports, but even they were not masked.

I don't think the UK Border Force goes to such extremes either. Usually that is scooping up desperate, unarmed "civilians", not armed groups, from the back of lorries or unseaworthy boats, and do they need such anonymity.