is it time to arm all UK Police Officers?

[avfc1982]

In light of the recent Paris atrocities and the current level of threat bearing down on the UK is it time that we routinely train and arm all of our officers?
I heard only this morning on the radio an argument against arming our Police is that as we have the best intelligence service in the world we wont need them and what happened in land locked Paris wont happen on our secure island! really? so this must be a new intelligence service given the roofs been blown off buses in the streets of London not to many moons ago. You wont be surprised to know the radio caller was also unrelated to Private Lee Rigby.
Are you for or against and why?

[neil]

I would be extremely worried of there was a move to arm more police officers in the UK, not enough of them have the mentality or intelligence to be trusted with anything more deadly than pepper spray, just look at some of the instances of tazer use

[avfc1982]

Hi Neil, i am sure you are not alone with your concerns however we are just about the only modern country in the world now who do not have routinely armed police, i wonder why this is the case? i doubt it is purely down to the incompetence of our officers? i think the for and against argument was traditionally discussed with a backdrop of tackling armed bank robbers, the odd drugs bust here and there etc but now we find ourselves in a very different landscape where terrorism at present is the threat.
I appreciate that "accidents and errors" will occur but surely if say a group of terrorist walk into a shopping center in say Derby and start spraying bullets around the published expected response time by at least 2 armed officers of 25 minutes just isnt going to be acceptable is it?
Its accepted that terrorists like soft targets, if they knew that an armed response was imminent would they be so keen?

[Katzenjammer]

In a word - Yes.

But whether that is all of them then that is open for discussion.

As I have said elsewhere we need to stop cuts to the police, armed forces, immigration and any other relevant service to the defence of our country. Glad to see an increase in intelligence officers but we also need personnel for the street. There is now a huge armed police and arm presence on the streets of Spain. They don't fanny around!

So for the UK there certainly need to be more armed officers. Traditionally our police were not armed but as armed crime and other anti-state activities grew through the sixties and seventies the realisation came for the need for armed response units. I saw them in action against the IRA in London and potentially against me and friends when we were reported as IRA with rocket launchers - cameras and telephoto lenses (some will remember me relating this incident re living near the Home Secretary Merlyn Rees and the Dolores sisters hunger strike demos!)

Over the past few years we have reached a whole new level and a new threat and thus a rethink of policy is required. But any officers need to be well picked and well trained. I know someone who regularly trains police, armed forces and special forces. He has been scathing about some of the police candidates in the past and some of the regular army!

[avfc1982]

[quote="Katzenjammer"]we need to stop cuts to the police, armed forces, immigration and any other relevant service to the defence of our country. Glad to see an increase in intelligence officers but we also need personnel for the street.

agree 100%

[Outandabout]

I think its time to have a greater armed police force. Maybe not all of the police to be armed, but a lot more than we currently have, especially in the cities. I dont think the average bobby on the beat requires arming. However these armed police will need to have the correct attitude towards the general public and not be too bullish or pushy (if thats the right words) towards people. If people are doing nothing illigal there should be nothing for them to worry about.
Armed police MAY be a deterent to a whole range of people, but once people realise they could be shot I think this will deter a lot of "petty gun crime".
However the extremists will always push the boundaries and not worry about the armed police, and wont see them as a deterent. But I feel it is better to have the capability to respond quickly and possibly minimise any attrocities like we saw in France.
If the security service can do their job then the armed police would be a great asset to them.
Kevin

[avfc1982]

I think its time to have a greater armed police force. Maybe not all of the police to be armed, but a lot more than we currently have, especially in the cities. I dont think the average bobby on the beat requires arming. However these armed police will need to have the correct attitude towards the general public and not be too bullish or pushy (if thats the right words) towards people. If people are doing nothing illigal there should be nothing for them to worry about.
Armed police MAY be a deterent to a whole range of people, but once people realise they could be shot I think this will deter a lot of "petty gun crime".
However the extremists will always push the boundaries and not worry about the armed police, and wont see them as a deterent. But I feel it is better to have the capability to respond quickly and possibly minimise any attrocities like we saw in France.
If the security service can do their job then the armed police would be a great asset to them.
Kevin

agreed 100%

[hktc]

No!

[bgaltd]

NO , not if the armed response units I've come across are anything to go by ..........

[Brooksy]

My father was a copper and a good old punch up between a Bobby and a local scrote was common, Police killers were extremely rare hence the unarmed force.
They are only human and to expect them to deal with an ever increasing video and litigation society not to mention masses of paperwork and human rights for outright bastards is a bit much when we cut their numbers, why? Not as a result of falling crime that's for certain, but to finance a 'bribe' or tax cut as Cameron calls it.

You only have to look at the case on Merseyside recently where a crook would rather murder a copper than face a vehicle theft charge.

Arming the Police in times of high threat should be mandatory, OK, so Mr Nobhead extremist won't be put off as he believes dying gets him virgins in heaven, but he could be stopped before the tally got too high.

And then think about the lesser criminals who simply take the piss out of common decency, maybe they would think twice about breaking into your home and murdering you and yours.