From what I have hears from our fellow clan members, a large majority of the police force in the UK does not carry a firearm or even a taser. My main concern is with the safety of the officers. Ive seen plenty of videos where a guy with a machete or a knife is fending off multiple cops. If the criminal does not listen, and continues to put officers' lives at risk then they need something to diffuse the situation. A taser would be a perfect fit, but I belive all police officers should carry a handgun as a last resort.

There have been times when I have seen armed police officers in the city I live in and I would say its a good deterrent for criminal behaviour. But I do not believe guns are the answer, I guess it depends on your moral standpoint.

I despise any weapon made to take another human being's life when there are alternative methods such as taser guns, rubber bullets, tear gas. But I agree, it should only be used as a last resort.

No

There have been times when I have seen armed police officers in the city I live in and I would say its a good deterrent for criminal behaviour. But I do not believe guns are the answer, I guess it depends on your moral standpoint.

I despise any weapon made to take another human being's life when there are alternative methods such as taser guns, rubber bullets, tear gas. But I agree, it should only be used as a last resort.

I agree but when situations escalate to a point where it's a criminal's life vs an officer's life I think that the cop should be able to defend his life more.

No, i feel safer with them not having guns.

No, i feel safer with them not having guns.

Only criminals should feel that way. A police officer should be able to go home to their kids after they have an encounter with a crazed criminal with a knife. I'd value a cops life over a deadly criminal's life 10 times out of 10.

With the amount of knife crime on the rise right now, should everyone be able to carry a gun? Of course not, guns are not the answer.

And since the cuts from the tories, Its unlikely the UK have the resources or the time to train police officers to fire guns.

Quote from: Cherrycrush on July 25, 2018, 21:18:59

No, i feel safer with them not having guns.

Only criminals should feel that way. A police officer should be able to go home to their kids after they have an encounter with a crazed criminal with a knife. I'd value a cops life over a deadly criminal's life 10 times out of 10.

We don't want guns in the UK, just the way it is.

I'm from the UK and as far as I'm aware, cops do carry pepper spray/batons or variations on those? That's just how it should be. We definitely do not need guns.

Officers do carry weapons as part of the armed units, theyre not needed on our streets generally. Most officers carry pepper spray and a baton, and those trained to will also carry tasers. For street patrols, pepper spray is the most they use, if a situation escalates, back up is called for, with escalating weapons as needed. Each officer has kevlar vests and multiple layers of bodily protection for safety.

The videos you refer to, take a look at the uk versions of them. Theres a great video of a guy wielding a samurai sword (i think) and officers took him down with no weapons needed, patience and great training only.

We're not America, We don't shoot first, ask questions later, we apprehend and question to gain more intelligence.

~Mudds

Why don't they carry guns?

Out of curiosity, what is the protocol if a thug has a gun? Or if someone lets their fighting dog loose on police?

Mostly because the officers don't want to carry them but also it all depends on what part of the force theyre part of. PCSO's/Street Officers don't because they're more a visual presence/deterrent. Officers as part of a raid team or bust team some will be armed. Terror Officers/Transport Police/MOD officers will be armed, as they are front line to overly dangerous situations.

Besides, we have stronger laws on gun possession so gun crime isn't as high as others and therefore doesn't warrant the armed officers as much.

In terms of the examples you gave, I can't say definitively, as theres not a whole scenario to go with it. Often back up units will be involved if the situation is perceived as dangerous early on. if the call has come in from a person saying they have a gun or dangerous dog, armed officers will be deployed, doesn't meant o say they'll use the weapons though. They're often more just a deterrent. Again, Dangerous Dog Act limits the types of dogs allowed to be kept (licenses I think are also involved for certain types, and any dog deemed dangerous is put down) so incidents like that are not very common.

I don't live in England so i don't really have much of an opinion, but in Australia all our cops carry guns, pepper sprat, baton etc, not all cops use guns, some cops take advantage of the power they have, as with most people with power. If they don't use guns and never needed to then cool why change it?

I don't think so. In extreme situations officers with guns can be deployed to an incident. Armed police won't hesitate to shoot a dog or person if they believe their life to be in danger. The less guns the better for me