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ITV are running a survey. It's obviously a question that's reared it's head again this week. I think for the first time I'm more in favour than against, although with some reluctance.
Deffo not.
Deffo yes. Without doubt. I'll bet most serving officers would be against it though. It seems any time an officer shoots someone it's followed by months if not years of inquests and court cases.
It's a no from badnewz.
But I would bring back capital punishment for the really nasty stuff.
No.
I have a healthy respect for the bizzies. The kind of respect I'd have for, say, a bull in a field full of cows in dairy. Would I like to see them armed? Absolutely not. There are enough of them armed as it is.
If I was a bull in a field of cows I'd go and hide in the barn for some peace and quiet. If that puts your mind at ease at all 🙂
I'll bet most serving officers would be against it though.
Probably because it increases the chances of them being shot and killed.
I dont see why an event in a foreign land means coppers here should be routinely armed
The police in France are armed and it did not stop the events.
Its a no from me as it will end up in more deaths coppers and crims and we are no where needing this IMHO
What has happened in your own area that makes you think you need to be armed to protect us OP?
Not routinely, no. The average copper is not equipped with the wherewithall to use them responsibly. There should be a fairly rigorous selection process, as I believe there is now. The SAS who train them hold the current lot in quite high regard.
I'll bet most serving officers would be against it though.
I've had this discussion with a mate who is a cop and yes, he was massively against the general police force being armed.
His main arguments were that he has adequate weaponry at his disposal (baton, spray and possibly tazer); that arming general police would trigger an increase in armed villains; that they have properly trained firearms units for the tasks that need them; and that arming police increased the risk to everyone involved including him (e.g. chances that his gun gets grabbed in a tussle etc).
I would bring back capital punishment for the really nasty stuff.
The stuff where you can definitely, definitely, definitely prove who did it?
Rather than the stuff where a jury of 12 definitely think it was proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but actually it turns out to be the wrong person?
It's a no for me. Hugely expensive and time consuming training when other parts of the service have been cut back. No way should every cop be armed.What there should be, perhaps, is a few more than there are now. In Scotland for example
There are only 275 highly trained specialist armed response officers, fewer than two per cent of our entire police service. They work on a shift system so that means there will only be a very small number on duty at any one time. For every 1,000 officers there will be 10 officers armed and on shift.
http://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/police-scotland/armed-policing/armed-policing-in-scotland
No
@tga, note I said "in dairy". 🙂
JY - Not so much something that has happened, but the knowledge of how far away appropriate assistance is in the unlikely event it did and how ineffective the response might be. See irc's quote, and it doesn't take a lot of maths to work out how many roughly are available at any one time in Scotland. Notwithstanding that the French police couldn't prevent 130 deaths, might it have been many more if their police were almost all unarmed?
I saw the survey and found for the first time, with that in mind, I was erring marginally more towards yes than no. I do recognise that this may be a transient change of view influenced by recent events, and I also agree with many of not all of the arguments against it, so may well revert to my former position.
No. If nothing else it's too much expense and training for not enough benefit, even leaving aside the completely inevitable accidental deaths and the likely impact on police/public relations
thegreatape - MemberNotwithstanding that the French police couldn't prevent 130 deaths, might it have been many more if their police were almost all unarmed?
Doesn't seem that likely- it was almost 3 hours between the start of the attack and storming the bataclan, remember, and very much not a job for beat coppers with guns. A specialist unit job.
no
Darcy I did notice that, but wasn't entirely sure what it meant (in heat or something?) So just pretended it wasn't there!
Imagine if this chap had been armed
Indeed.
That's it tga.
Was it as long as that for them to go in, I hadn't seen that.
A police officer who Tasered a blind man after mistaking his white stick for a samurai sword has been ordered to apologise in person.According to the IPCC report, Mr Farmer was then handcuffed while on the ground and not released until the arrival of another officer, who PC Wright told: "I think I've got the wrong person."
If the copper couldn't distinguish between a white stick and a samurai sword until after he had handcuffed the individual then I reckon he needs to make an appointment with Specsavers.
That's it tga.
Noted for future reference.
thegreatape - MemberWas it as long as that for them to go in, I hadn't seen that.
Aye, 9.40pm to 12.20am.
No. How many people have they killed in error?
Far too many.
Perhaps I just assumed they were quicker than that. I wouldn't have thought it would be particularly slower here, well London at least.
Only if the police routinely require arms to fulfil their duties. So no.
I see armed police every day patrolling at my work, it wouldn't bother me one way or the other
Only if the police routinely require arms to fulfil their duties. So no.
I like that answer.
No. Having specialist units means that the skill level through constant drills and task focus will be high. Issue to the rank and file and you'll dilute the training and skills, and greatly increase risks to both the police themselves and the public. Our police force does a grand job without the ability to easily use lethal force.
Nearly always better to have fewer highly skilled individuals than many poorly skilled. That article about him of Scottish armed police is a poor use of numbers.
Over the past 20 years I've worked with some excellent cops who have applied several times to join our tactical firearms unit. For whatever reason they have dipped at one stage or another of what is a rigorous selection program. I've also worked along several who can't be trusted with a taser. If they can't pass the course, should we lower the qualification standard so they can carry a weapon?
No from me.
No
And decisions made in the heat of the moment are also generally a bad idea as we are/will be seeing in the aftermath of last week
No.
Not unless the general public are also allowed to bear arms.
Then Brazilian electricians may have a chance to defend themselves....
The police Scotland stats are a bit strange. How many per shift are at airports etc and how many does that leave in circulation?
I do know that if something happened here there would be no armed response for at least 1hr.
It seems any time an officer shoots someone it's followed by months if not years of inquests and court cases.
appropriately so. death at the hands of another should require investigation.
no from me.
I doubt it would be as long as that, bear in mind that there are helicopters that can be used to ferry folk about which would decrease the response time to minutes.
No way do we need more, I dont see what the benefit would be, bear in mind armed response never used to carry weapons till relatively recently.
Oh, and that taser user would also have been armed response as, unless I'm mistaken, they are the only ones allowed to carry them.
Taser is carried by trained officers at district approx 10% of staff locally here. They are also carried as a secondary by firearms officers.
For me I would say yes for being armed. With appropriate training and regular assessment - to be deployed with fim authority only
Police are routinely armed where they are needed - Train stations, airports etc.
I don't think a PC & his/her PCSO mate doing the local neighbourhood policing walk should be armed.
No from me but we've been superseded by someone elses POV.
def no to 'routinely armed', however I think that having more people trained for their use if/when needed would not be a bad idea
No. All the reasons why not already well covered.
Another No, again, man good reasons already laid out, no need to go over them again.
Yes. If they want to shoot me dead. Shoot! Stop pussy footing around.
I think we the balance about right on this one.
Normal community policing Rozzers don't need guns, but need to be able to call on the shooters when required.
as others have said, this is different for airports etc, where I think they should all be packing heat.
My mate would love to, just don't be wearing a Sunderland FC shirt if he's around. 😀
No,
First and foremost if their is a need to routinely arm the Police it should come from the Police and not handwringers scared of their shadow.
I would hate it leading to a US paramilitary style of policing when weapons are drawn routinely as part of any interaction with 'bad guys'.
Buttle/Tuttle?
No; "The police are the public and the public are the police" Robert Peel
and as for capital punishment as always there is only one sensible response; Derek Bentley.
Absolutely not.
No, but there should be at least a doubling of armed officers Nationwide. You'd be staggered at how few there are on patrol at any one time. If the 'Bataclan Incident' had happened in the UK, we'd likely still be negotiating
I don't think they should be. I am perfectly happy with armed response units. But as someone said above, the police in France are armed, and that didn't stop what happened in Paris.
What I do think is that police should be relieved of all the bureaucratic crap they have to undertake, and be allowed to police. Then, there might be one nearby when something does begin to happen.
Definitely not but a bit of pt would not go amiss for a few of them.
The Police should be armed with feather dusters.