Should the U.K. Go with all police carrying arms

[not on facebook]

I guess that just about 90% on here have never fired a really gun and what comes with it etc etc.

It took armed police 8 mins to get to and take out the three terrorists fire gunfire over the weekend .

In the USA and France and other country's all the police are armed,but this inturn brings out different questions especially in the USA,as they seem to be trigger happy or maybe it's their society's fault?

Would you be happy if all U.K. Police were armed or have the governments of today  and past got the armed police policy right?

You will see armed police walking on the streets of major city's across the U.K. and at airports ,but when was last time you saw armed police walking up and down Doncaster high street or cleggy sea front,Bristol ,Leeds ,Bournemouth to name a few.

at the moment Iam happy how the U.K. Police are as they are today ,but I doubt it will take much for me to think different .

[GazLaz]

The police officers themselves don't want it.

[Draytonian III]

The police officers themselves might not want it but most of the public would feel safer if they were

[not on facebook]

The police officers themselves don't want it.

Very good point that gaz lad ,that certainly puts a point in the NO bank.

[wilts rover]

Armed police at football matches - there's a thought. They have them in Italy, dozens of them with machine guns.

I would be interested in Bally's response to this as he has the most direct experience and knowledge of anyone on this site.

Personally I believe we should give the police the tools and resources they require to do the job(s) they  need to do. I did hear the Met Commissioner on the radio this morning saying she didn't think all police should be armed but was happy with a pool of highly trained officers working in mobile units.

[Bentley Bullet]

The police officers themselves don't want it.

Very good point that gaz lad ,that certainly puts a point in the NO bank.

I bet the majority of criminals don't want it either, so that certainly puts a point in the YES bank.

[not on facebook]

The police officers themselves might not want it but most of the public would feel safer if they were

I suppose that across the big pond thd general public have the right to carry a fire arm ,hence why in turn their police don't second guess and fire straight away when that line is crossed.

The general public do not have right to carry arms in U.K. and them that do are all wrong'erns so i guess the U.K. Police would be far more controlled on use of fire arm > or is my head up in the clouds.

[not on facebook]

Armed police at football matches - there's a thought. They have them in Italy, dozens of them with machine guns.

I would be interested in Bally's response to this as he has the most direct experience and knowledge of anyone on this site.

Personally I believe we should give the police the tools and resources they require to do the job(s) they  need to do. I did hear the Met Commissioner on the radio this morning saying she didn't think all police should be armed but was happy with a pool of highly trained officers working in mobile units.

I had bally1950 in mind when i put this thread up ,also anyone that has served in the armed forces.

Iam going to second guess Bally as he is old school and I think he would like to see  far more police in the community before a armed U.K. Police force.

[RedJ]

The number of cases that actually require an armed response doesn't really call for it, I wouldn't have thought.

[Filo]

In my opinion a side arm should be standard issue to all Police officers, we must be the only Country in the world that arms our Police with a stick. A British Transport Policeman attempted to tackle the three scumbags the other night with just his batton, he's in a serious condition in hospital. If he had a side arm, those three would have been taken out earlier than the 8 minutes and probably would have saved more lives

[not on facebook]

Filo point about the un armed police officer taking on the three terrorists with only his baton and getting stabbed in the face and fact that he could have taken out the 3 terrorists with a bang bang bang and another bang just incase .also cutting that 8 mins reaction time down which means less carnage is a point for a fully armed police force

YES 1 NO 1

[Donnywolf]

In my opinion a side arm should be standard issue to all Police officers, we must be the only Country in the world that arms our Police with a stick. A British Transport Policeman attempted to tackle the three scumbags the other night with just his batton, he's in a serious condition in hospital. If he had a side arm, those three would have been taken out earlier than the 8 minutes and probably would have saved more lives

In my early years every village had a Cop. In Fishlake it was Sharpie known to we Stainyites (originally) as Sharpie the Fishlake Cop. Whatever time you tried to enter he was there and used to scare me to death

However times change. Nobody is scared of authority these days. The world is a totally different place and so I agree with what Filo says.

Go to Holland Belgium Spain etc etc and all the Police on the Street have side arms. It makes me for one feel that bit safer and the only time I have been "scared" was way back in the 70's when a Spanish Cop (who had had a few) was waving his Pistol about in a Bar trying to impress the Lady by his side

Other than that no problems for me - arm them and do it soon.

[not on facebook]

The police officers themselves don't want it.

Very good point that gaz lad ,that certainly puts a point in the NO bank.

I bet the majority of criminals don't want it either, so that certainly puts a point in the YES bank.

This is where this thread gets messy as I will bring two events that had issues for the police after they fired and killed.

1st issue was the reaction to the black lad that was shot dead in Tottenham,that inturn lead to rioting
over London not long before the olympics were held.
The chao that was gunned down was later found out by general public to have been a know drug dealer and had been known to Carry a fire arm .i have no sympathy for the shot lads family on this issue ,but it caused untold crimes across London during the riots.

The 2nd was when a chap from Brazil who innocent on all accounts apart from not having a work visa and got caught up as armed officers were watching a known terrorists house after the terror acts in London tube getting bombed.

Gent comes out of watched house with a back pack on > which is not a crime ,but because he came out of the hot house it raised flags > he was followed and shouted to stop as he approached near by tube station. > then he made a run for said tube station with back pack on > what do the secret armed police do ?

Now they are trained day in day out on all sorts , as a normall armed police man on the street will get a more diluted training guide I guess .

With a fully armed police force in the U.K. sooner or later a mistake will happen.

[drfchound]

Someone close to me is a Police Officer and has been firearms trained.
He told me that the rank and file policeman is not in favour of being armed.
He also said that his local area armed officers are called out every day but very rarely are required to actually take a shot.
Events like Saturday are also extremely rare and do not warrant every officer to carry a gun.
As NOF says, in the USA thousands of people carry firearms so the justification for the police to do the same is there.
Unless Glyn jumps on my post and says not.

[Muttley]

You will see armed police walking on the streets of major city's across the U.K. and at airports ,but when was last time you saw armed police walking up and down Doncaster high street or cleggy sea front,Bristol ,Leeds ,Bournemouth to name a few.

There was a couple of armed coppers on platform 3 at Donny train station last Saturday, and they've previously appeared in the Frenchgate etc  after terrorist incidents.

Seems to me just be a show of strength by the government  to give the public the appearance that they are doing "something".

I don't believe for a minute that dotting a couple of thousand armed coppers at strategic points around the country has any deterrent affect on a terrorist who is willing to blow himself up for his cause - they would just select another target away from the armed copper.

The war on terror is going to be won through intelligence and education, not by putting armed police on the streets.

[drfchound]

Totally agree Muttley.
It is impossible to patrol every possible target area, let alone have armed officers there.

[Bentley Bullet]

It's probably more beneficial taking known potential terrorists off the streets than putting more armed police on them.

[the vicar]

If they don't they won't be able to carry there guns or make arrests 🤔

[the vicar]

There not enough Copps to make a difference weather they do or they don't

[drfchound]

It's probably more beneficial taking known potential terrorists off the streets than putting more armed police on them.

Ah but the do gooders would say that you can't arrest someone until they have committed a crime.

[Draytonian III]

We should spend more money on policing our country than we do ,making it safer place to live , not wasting millions on finding out what's in Outer space. I'm definitely in favour of the police carrying guns ,they do in Northern Ireland and nobody bats an eyelid

[ballysbackin]

Yes you can There is always "The Criminal Attempts Act" gives you a bit more leverage

[BobG]

No.

[not on facebook]

After reading last few points since mr mutleys input all points are valid but I like to point out if all police officers were armed in the U.K. ,the first policeman on the recent london attacks would have take out the 3 terrorists straight away .

Where he only had a wooden stick to fend them off,they then went into a pub and restaurant to inflict more carnage.

As pointed out the powers that be will never be able to prevent terrorists from the streets of U.K. Causing havoc no matter how good the intelligence is.

What can be done is cut short the amount of time a knife welding terrorist can run amok by minutes which I guess will save deaths and serious  injurys.

Still 1-1 at moment unless a rabbit can pulled out of the hat.

Suppose question is how bad will have to get with terrorist acts on U.K. Streets while our police are not fully armed before we all start edging towrads a fully armed police force?

Iam looking many years infront with this one. but one day whenever I like to think that isis will run dry on recruits and will basically fall away.

But the most worrying part of above is that the next terrorist group to appear will have to be far more extreme than isis to shock us.

We all learned to live with whatever the ira threw at us and just got on with it.

Next up was isis and the first time I read about a head been hacked off I was mortified ,but for some really bad reasons I don't like to put my hands up > when I read about a terrorist beheading today I type of move on and don't read it as Iam no longer shocked.

Hence the question what will the next terrorist have to do to  really shock me .

[MachoMadness]

There not enough Copps to make a difference weather they do or they don't

I agree, Copps is a legend but he is only one man, plus his legs are going apparently.

[Glyn_Wigley]

It's probably more beneficial taking known potential terrorists off the streets than putting more armed police on them.

Ah but the do gooders would say that you can't arrest someone until they have committed a crime.

Apart from what bally1950 has said, there's also Conspiracy.

[Bentley Bullet]

Let's hope now that finally, FINALLY, we're no longer going to pander to the Namby Pamby, Shandy drinking, powder puff, Jessie, f**king do-gooders who show more concern for the evil bas**rd perpetrators than their victims.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Let's hope now that finally, FINALLY, we're no longer going to pander to the Namby Pamby, Shandy drinking, powder puff, Jessie, f**king do-gooders who show more concern for the evil bas**rd perpetrators than their victims.

Who are these people?

[not on facebook]

Let's hope now that finally, FINALLY, we're no longer going to pander to the Namby Pamby, Shandy drinking, powder puff, Jessie, f**king do-gooders who show more concern for the evil bas**rd perpetrators than their victims.

Who are these people?

I will point you into a direction for that answer Glynn but the description in BBs
in BBs post don't fit the ones that lived local to the chap that got shot dead by police in Tottenham ,that in turn caused riots across the city.

Then you had numbers of different types of raged people out with their arms up in the air ( these arms had fingers on the end) after the Brazilian chap was shot and killed while running into the tube station.

He was only guilty of running away from police when ordered to STOP ,but how could the police 2nd guess that his ruck sack was not a bomb.

[Bentley Bullet]

The people who allow known potential terrorists, such as the London Bridge, Manchester Arena, and the Westminster Bridge terrorists the freedom to terrorise the streets of England.