Arm our officers

[Bluebird since 1948]

I actually know a former AR unit officer in a rural police force, he served for maybe a decade before switching to the canine unit maybe five years ago. I have not spoken to him about it recently but he said switching was like a weight off his shoulders. Although as far as I am aware he never had to kill anyone there were plenty of moment where he must have come close. He also told me they delve into your personal live and you must inform them of any significant changes. He eventually got moved because he was having an affair and his wife found out about it and the powers that be decided that was enough to move him over.

It goes to show that not everyone can handle that pressure, it should only be for those who can.

[Croesy Blue]

I don't think there's been one decent point made that all police should be armed.

In this country the ones in high risk areas are.

In America plenty of innocent people get killed.

The whole idea is an over reaction to a terrorist attack that whilst terrible seems to have been dealt with in a fairly straightforward way.

[Pearcey3]

I agree from an objective point of view. My thinking is somewhat different as I remember that aforementioned grilling I had .
I feel for the officer, he's done the right thing but it's going to be a potracted affair waiting for that final seal of approval that he did nothing wrong.

The officer won't have anything to worry about. One of his colleagues had just been murdered. He had to shoot and if necessary to kill to protect lives.
As for wholesale arming of the Police I would hate to see that happen. Arming police forces with tazers would seem like a sensible compromise.

[Temujin]

Armed police during the miners strike or the Brixton riots etc. let alone the footy events of the 70's and 80's would be horrible to imagine.

The lesson earned at Peterloo is a lesson that should ALWAYS be remembered.

[Wales-Bales]

Armed police during the miners strike or the Brixton riots etc. let alone the footy events of the 70's and 80's would be horrible to imagine.

The lesson earned at Peterloo is a lesson that should ALWAYS be remembered.

Know your history

[Packerman]

Know your history

Peterloo was the army, cavalry to be precise

[Wales-Bales]

Peterloo was the army, cavalry to be precise

Of course it was, the police hadn't been formed yet.

[William Treseder]

Good, enjoyable thread, with some very informative contributions. Well done to blue Matt for sticking in there, and fighting lots of fires. I never want to see all our police armed, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

[OurManFlint II]

Whilst it is all very spectacular and nerve raking when these events happen, the UK and Europe is still a considerably very safe place. People worried about terror attacks in the UK are backing the wrong horse, knife crime is the UK plague!!

Some data here that puts terrorist attack into numbers.
http://www.datagraver.com/case/peopl...rope-1970-2015

[kingbillyboy]

as a a retired met officer who was an AFO for 15 years my articulate thoughts are that the police don't need or want to be fully armed, what they need is enough armed response to deal with situations that arise, not a problem in London but obviously an issue in other smaller forces, carrying a weapon is a huge responsibility with the onus on you to justify your actions taken in the split second of an incident perhaps to a jury months later when what you did can be minutely examined, not everyone wants that responsibility, we've seen previous threads on this board with people asking why didn't they shoot to wound sums up the predicament nicely

retired?? you ****ing lazy ****. do you have an issue with working or what? there are folk in this country that wuld kill for the chance of a job. you are a disgrace son.

[Mrs Steve R]

retired?? you ****ing lazy ****. do you have an issue with working or what? there are folk in this country that wuld kill for the chance of a job. you are a disgrace son.

Behave he has plenty to do.

[Wales-Bales]

Behave he has plenty to do.

Is it paid work

[Baloo]

retired?? you ****ing lazy ****. do you have an issue with working or what? there are folk in this country that wuldkill for the chance of a job. you are a disgrace son.

[Packerman]

retired?? you ****ing lazy ****. do you have an issue with working or what? there are folk in this country that wuld kill for the chance of a job. you are a disgrace son.

somebody must have mistaken your head for a lambeg drum when you was a lad

[Organ Morgan.]

Reports of two incidents when police tasered blind men because they couldn't tell the difference between their walking sticks from a gun and sumurai sword.

Blind man Tasered by armed police who thought his walking stick was a gun
Officers Tasered the man with a 50,000 volt stun after he failed to drop the 'weapon' - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7600131.html

Police Taser blind man mistaking his white stick for a samurai sword - https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/...lind-man-stick

[Spearsy]

Two more incidents since I originally posted this. Would it have made a difference recently?

[lardy]

Two more incidents since I originally posted this. Would it have made a difference recently?

To be honest, I can't really see how it would

[Ainsley Harriott]

Two more incidents since I originally posted this. Would it have made a difference recently?

To be honest, I can't really see how it would

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7772251.html

I think this police officer would've been more effective with a gun...

[blue matt]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7772251.html

I think this police officer would've been more effective with a gun...

fair play to that man, he would have known full well that it wasnt likely to have ended well for him

to quote the Met police fed chairman " “There are barely words to describe their bravery – officers who ran towards danger with no thought for their own safety. "

good luck to him in his recovery

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

Two more incidents since I originally posted this. Would it have made a difference recently?

You might want to actually take the time to read the responses in this thread.

[Spearsy]

I'm more interested to see if people's opinions have changed given the incidents of late.

[Charlie]

I'm more interested to see if people's opinions have changed given the incidents of late.

Personally, I don't think it would have made any difference whatsoever.

[Wales-Bales]

Two more incidents since I originally posted this. Would it have made a difference recently?

A better solution would be to make everybody a policeman.

[Croesy Blue]

They responded and killed the terrorists within 8 minutes didn't they? How much quicker could it have been really?

[life on mars]

What probably needed is close to hand armed tasks force that are not regular police and not walking the streets but can be deployed discreetly and quickly , those people would be highly trained have access to quick response vehicles and helicopter and vehicles, perhaps a fore that is deeper integration with our armed forces as or of homeland force ,we can ignore this.

However over and above this we need to get to route cause and that means sophisticated measures just as on line monitoring and listening solutions , covert integration into these peoples lives , and ways of thought , that how the Irish issue fell in the end.

Finally only the Muslim's and the close communities living in and around these people can really help , people must be seeing the movement and behavior of these people ,or suspect something is not right , having lived in some tough places in my time , we all knew where the good and bad were, and how to avoid and join them .