Should Police officers be armed?

[Nixt]

I read this article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/10257836.stm) regarding the recent shooting in Cumbria. The officers pursuing Mr. Bird were not armed and therefore were at considerable risk themselves and were unable to stop him. Had they been armed, they may have been able to end it once and for all there and then. I have posted this debate before but I thought, given recent events, it might be interesting to see what people think again.

Gun and knife crime is on the increase, if our police were armed, do you not think crimes such as these would be less likely?

[marriott0.01]

I personally believe yes, although tbh it could have the opposite effect as criminals would see a need to get some guns to arm themselves against the police.. So the effect would be you'd just have two armed people, the police and the criminal. I'll answer more in-depth when I'm feeling better.

[Moh]

I don't think so, no. I think they should have the training on how to use one and keep weapons in the station if they are needed.

You see on the news how police have shot people (in USA) for no real reason.

[HotelUser]

In Canada police are armed, and it's not often that I hear of gun abuse with police. I am very happy officers here are armed, as it gives me that extra sense of safety.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I believe police officers should be armed, its pretty much common sense. A police officer with a gun is less likely to be assaulted/crime is less likely to be committed with police who have guns on their person. The criminals have the guns, why shouldnt the police?

[alexxxxx]

You arm the police and you arm the criminals.

I know people'll say "there are already loads of guns" but i think we'd see far more if the police were armed as criminals see them as fair game and they'll feel more threatened.

[jackass]

Yes, without a doubt. Although occasionally they can make mistakes (like previously in the past), there could be certain issues and rules on the only times police can actually use them, for example if they have been given a definitive order from a higher ranking individual. This would save lives, and at least give police at least SOME power.

[Stryderman]

Not a chance. If they was armed it would be absolutely bloody ridiculous, Police abuse their "power" as it is already so giving them a weapon is going to make them even more power mad. What good is gonna come from them being armed apart from "defence" but if they see someone with a gun they call for backup anyway so whats the problem?

[GommeInc]

Yes and no, you've got to fear for bent cops or officers who may "accidentally" leave the guns in a car and have them stolen or any other location. Foot officers could probably go unarmed depending where they're patroling and maybe officers with cars or any sort of transport could go armed? It might require a complete overhaul of the system, which would no doubt cost a helluva alot.

[BeanEgg]

Arming officer's is going to be a good thing. However, there's an extremely high risk, maybe securely attaching them to their duty belts is not good enough. Just give them tazer guns, perhaps? Most countries have armed police, but then again there are a lot of issues; they could get onto the black market and the such and the officers could claim they are lost. (I have heard that in some countries, officers are often put in jail for quite a long time if they lose their weapons, providing a thorough investigation has happened)

Currently in London, there's the Armed Response Unit which operate in the ARVs 24/7.
Still, if there's a call relating to offensive weapons, a dispatch is made pretty quickly and they are on seen within 8 minutes, so the question is, should they bother?

Although this is in London, it could be quite different in other places such as Cumbria

[Jordy]

You arm the police and you arm the criminals.

I know people'll say "there are already loads of guns" but i think we'd see far more if the police were armed as criminals see them as fair game and they'll feel more threatened.This has always been my line of thinking, I think we'd see gun crime rise throughout the UK and like Gomme said, they could easily be stolen etc.

Above all though it's unnecessary and incredibly costly, other than this, can someone else justify to me in the past year when the police having weapons could have stopped other murders. I don't think the police can even be trusted with tasers as it is, I've heard the odd story about them being unnecessarily used so with guns, the chances of mis-use is ever greater and more dangerous. But yeah they'd have to purchase an enormous amount of weapons and retrain all police officers which would cost tens of millions of pounds, maybe even hundreds of millions. There's no real threat in the UK, so why fix something which isn't broken when we're already in lots of debt :P

I also find it quite intimidating seeing officers with guns whether this be in airports, city centres or abroad. I might get used to it I suppose if all officers were armed but I always feel a lot less safe around guns no matter who's wielding it.

[Swastika]

Yes and no.
Like Jordy said i do feel abit wiery(sp?) when im around police officers who carry guns, but at the same time i do feel safe. Strangely enough i hate going near armed officers at UK airports because in my mind, i know that the chunk of metal he is holding in his hands could kill me at any time. To be honest i don't believe alot of people in urban areas in the UK trust the police at the present time, nevermind with them wielding weapons that could kill in an instant. Alot of UK officers abuse their powers and think they're better than the average citizen and giving them a gun would increase this, having said that - there are alot of officers too who are professionals and are not hellbent on being the superior person.
I can just imagine ALOT of mistakes being made by Brit cops and its not something i want to see, but at the same time it would make a huge difference if its done accordingly and properly.
I'm sure it would work 100% if the task of giving UK officers guns was done properly.

[Black_Apalachi]

Should be the same as America.

[Swastika]

Should be the same as America.
No, just no.

[xxMATTGxx]

I'm in the middle, 50/50 on this. I feel that they should be armed in such cases of these and other situations unarmed Police officers come across. It would also be an added protection to us, although I feel that if all Police are armed it might give the image that the general public should also arm themselves with weapons. I know that they are all armed in the USA but there is a good reasons for that.

[Grig]

It's common sense. Why in the world would a polcie officer go to such pursuits unarmed, it is quit silly logic. ALL police here in Hong Kong are.

[Jordy]

It's common sense. Why in the world would a polcie officer go to such pursuits unarmed, it is quit silly logic. ALL police here in Hong Kong are.Glad to see the debating manager getting involved by just calling it common sense :p

In the UK there are only a few incidents with firearms every day (Very few are fatal) and all of these incidents are attended by a special squad of armed police found in each county.

[Bun]

without a doubt, how are the police supposed to inforce the law when they would feel the most threatend in a gun crime situation?

[Eckuii]

By the time the police get to most knife crime related scenes, the person suspected has disappeared. You aren't exactly going to hang about now, nevermind if you give them a gun.

The guy your talking about in Cumbria had a gun license for 20 years with no problems, then one day something went wrong in his mind and he went and shot 12 people. Why trust however many police officers with a gun when something psychological could go wrong with them when they are in pocession of that gun.

Imagine a police guy carrying a gun on him and going in to a hostile environment thats very crowded. What happens if somebody manages to take that gun off them? Another Policeman/woman will end up shot dead.

The first time the Police drew their gun in a situation which wasn't needed, they would undoubtfully get fully slated for it. The gun legislation in the UK is too tight to have every tom **** and harry running around with a gun, whether they are in the police or not. If a armed officer fires his weapon, he is not allowed to fire that weapon for another year until a full investigation takes place. There would end up being no Police on the streets with the problems in Britain. lol.

[Becca]

I don't think police should have guns. If they're armed then they should be trained enough to not use death force on them to make a harder situation.

[culturist]

That's the most pathetic comment I've ever heard. Police don't abuse their power, and they're not power mad. In my opinion, they don't have enough power, and this is the problem.

Yes, they should be armed. Simple as that.

[wiktoria]

Yes they should be armed.

[flatface]

Yeh I do think that Police should be armed, predominantly with tasers. I know a lot of forces are starting to roll out tasers to their officers but I do think all police officers should have one. I think that more police officers should be armed with firearms however I don't think its wise to roll this out to every single officer as I don't think its necessary just yet, however in the future I know this will probably be the case :P

[-paul.]

i think a hand gun but nothing more - whats the point in having a huge machine gun

[Sharon]

Of course they should, without weapons they put themself at risk...

[itsMIKEYY]

only with a certain number of years experience, or just senior officers.

[Camy]

I think they should yes, at least with a tazer.

[Shar]

Yes to protect themselves.

[Mathew]

Yes of course they should. The police in the USA look so scary because of their guns, taser, handcuffs, pepper spray, etc all strapped around their waist. Police in this country are so pathetic compared to them in my eyes.

You just wouldn't pick a fight with a police officer in the USA, they have you whimpering to the floor just by looking at them. Over here though, we're living in a country which has become too "nicey nice" and everyone runs crying to their lawyers if something goes wrong for them. In some cases they are legitimate, but in the majority people just need to toughen up and learn that there is a law and they need to follow it.

[Richie]

No because its not safe, someone could easily swipe there weapons. If they aren't armed they should go around in 'garda groups' to be safe.

[Chevy]

They are police officers, of course they should be armed. That is a no-brainer.

[Muct]

Funny, there was a debate over this on the GTA IV Forums just the other day in The Lounge, with alot of good points, most of the shootings in Cumbria could easily have been avoided if our officers were armed, but then what if they misuse them? I meen, unnecessarily shooting people...
There's lots of other points too but I'm tired as hell scorching that man that shot 12 people in Cumbria the other week.

[Black_Apalachi]

Funny, there was a debate over this on the GTA IV Forums just the other day in The Lounge, with alot of good points, most of the shootings in Cumbria could easily have been avoided if our officers were armed, but then what if they misuse them? I meen, unnecessarily shooting people...
There's lots of other points too but I'm tired as hell scorching that man that shot 12 people in Cumbria the other week.

You can say that about anybody in power. We assume a police officer wouldn't abuse a gun just as we assume they wouldn't abuse their tazer or blue lights.

[Black_Apalachi]

I hate this forum

[Moh]

Since we hardly have any gun crime, the police have nothing to protect them selfs from.

If you give them a gun, then a criminal will get a gun to protect themselfs from the police.

[T0X!C-uk]

As a Special Constable I will say no....the simple reason for this is that UK officers receive sufficient training to carry out thier duties, armed response is not one of those duties. Gun crime may be on the rise but there is no need to issue every officer with a firearm. Think about it, when was the last time you saw a gun in the wrong hands? The selection criteria for armed response in the UK is intense as is the training, only the best of Police officers will be eligible for the role.

Anytime I am on duty I feel confident to walk the streets, you get a lot of self defense training and carry adequate PPE. (Ever been hit with a 21 inch steel bar or had your eyes, nose and throat burn and sting for upto 40 minutes at a time?)

[Colossus]

Well, if the police offers were armed, people would treat them differently I suppose.

[T0X!C-uk]

Well, if the police offers were armed, people would treat them differently I suppose.

No they wouldn't....People will know that the officer can't use their firearm. Unlike overseas Police, UK armed response need authorisation to even take out their firearm (Unless in a very extreme circumstance) let alone point it at a person.

[Colossus]

You've got a point there, so they shouldn't be having a gun if they can't use it.

[Callum.]

After that guy whose on the run atm said he would continue to kill police, what chance do they have against him being unarmed and all. For special cases I'd say yes, but what happens if they get robbed for their gun etc, bad things :(.

[T0X!C-uk]

After that guy whose on the run atm said he would continue to kill police, what chance do they have against him being unarmed and all. For special cases I'd say yes, but what happens if they get robbed for their gun etc, bad things :(.


Again not the job of a standard Police Officer, they will have had clear instruction, not to approach or attempt to detain said person. They currently have all of the armed officers deployed in that area on the streets looking for this guy as well as back up from other forces.

[Hollie]

Yes, they don't know who they might come across tbh. The criminal or however might have knifes or a gun on them.

[coopera11]

I believe police are armed with enoth already, with them have battons and pepper spray and there own training i believe are fine to keep on with this.

And on the other hand with tasers becoming a more seen weapon on police aswell with more and more having them that is the highest weapon an averahe police officer should have.

With them having anything more harmful than the tasers crimminals will just get more scared and arm them selves even stronger and meaning it will ahve a joint knock on effect, police will have to arm up even more and then so will the crimminals.

So police are doing just as good a job now as ever nd should stay like this, the only improvement needed is for the goverment to change there decisions the opposite way and employ more police officers to protect us as they are now reducing it to pay of debts it will lead to inceased crime, more work and eventualy just re-employment of the officers.

[ihatehash]

Police are not armed enough, how often do you hear of a policeman that has been killed or injured due to criminals violence. It's not safe if they have little protection.

[Pyroka]

No, and there's a reason why.

You arm the police, and the people they're fighting will find it easier to get guns. Things like this work in the US because gun laws are legal, you can get guns anywhere when you have a license. I mean yeah the laws quite strict on them, but you can purchase them from an outdoor shop or a gun shop. There's a trained unit of armed police officers who, when somebody is in posession of a firearm and aims to use it, can response to the incidents and have the best judgement on what to do. Giving every copper a gun isn't a great idea, because for one alot of coppers will say no to a gun, and alot will simply get trigger-happy and want to use it like it's a plaything. The armed response units are trained up and are chosen quite thoroughly, so that mistakes aren't made regularly.

I never hear about a cop shooting someone else in the UK, because the armed response unit is only called in when theyre certain a suspect is armed and dangerous, who has the potential to harm human life. Tasers I do agree, that some police officers should have them as they're less harmful and won't kill you, but even then I think it'd have to be a group of officers in every police station, so that the training involved doesn't involve the whole police force. That costs taxpayers money, remember that.

[Shockwave.2CC]

Yes i think all police should carry a automatic guns because then it mite cut down crime a bit, because the criminals mite think twice before doing something.

[louder]

if you allow guns, there will be more gun crime.

[GommeInc]

No, there's no reason to. We're not the USA, not every crime will have a weapon like a gun. Most crimes like hostage situations or ones involving weapons involve knives and they're easy to disarm. Arming police with guns will make the number of cases involving mis-use of a fire arm rise. In this country we have special teams to deal with weapons, most of the time we just need frontline people dealing with any trouble. Arming them all with guns would be more dangerous. The current system is fine as it is.

Strangely enough, this debate was on Google Buzz not long ago. It's interesting how the US do not quite understand why we do not need guns and why they only have them because it's too late to get rid of them :P

[JACKTARD]

I don't think they should. They should be better protected and they are right to have batons but if they've got guns then they may decide to use it irrationally in the heat of the moment irresponsibly and then regret it for the rest of their lives.

[Gibs960]

Not all of them but I believe they should have some sort of long range weapon... The firearms department do a good job, no need to arm 'em all ;)

[,elaboratedolls]

Hmm... Sort of. It depends were the crime is. Cause theres loadsa crimes here in chav ville xD

[Arron]

yes because each day is unique in the police.

[Yupt]

I reckon the police should be armed, lets face it, a Criminal with a gun vs A Policeman with a big stick. Who's going to win? Police know not to abuse their power and would know the consequences if they did.

[Jessicrawrr]

i agree with Yupt, the police are in danger because they aren't armed and some member of the public are armed with dangerous weapons.

[.iNova.]

You get a gun. Someone else gets a bigger gun. You get a bigger one, they get an RPG, you get a nuke, they get an EMP. yeh well whatever! Just no, it's stupid and unnecesary.

[GommeInc]

i agree with Yupt, the police are in danger because they aren't armed and some member of the public are armed with dangerous weapons.
If someone has a weapon they kinda make it obvious. A first responce police officer (or whatever their official name is) never needs a gun, they're unnecessary and dangerous so if someone calls 999 the chan ces are they would have a special squad sent to them to deal with a vagrant and his sharp, point weapon. Most crimes or calls for officers do not involve a use for them. Police officers do not need guns to go against a burglar (arguably the biggest crime in the UK). Knife crime usually results in it being too late, and an officer wouldn't need a gun because no doubt the call to police would result in the appropriate squad being called out e.g. special weapons or officers with tools to deal with knife crime. Gun crime is very rare, it's shocking alot of you assume it's common like some sort of GTA reaction to crime in the UK. We're not America, we do not need guns or armed police officers as it's a waste of money and time, and it's best not to arm the police with such weapons which could easily be stolen.

[Nemo]

If someone has a weapon they kinda make it obvious. A first responce police officer (or whatever their official name is) never needs a gun, they're unnecessary and dangerous so if someone calls 999 the chan ces are they would have a special squad sent to them to deal with a vagrant and his sharp, point weapon. Most crimes or calls for officers do not involve a use for them. Police officers do not need guns to go against a burglar (arguably the biggest crime in the UK). Knife crime usually results in it being too late, and an officer wouldn't need a gun because no doubt the call to police would result in the appropriate squad being called out e.g. special weapons or officers with tools to deal with knife crime. Gun crime is very rare, it's shocking alot of you assume it's common like some sort of GTA reaction to crime in the UK. We're not America, we do not need guns or armed police officers as it's a waste of money and time, and it's best not to arm the police with such weapons which could easily be stolen.
I somewhat agree, i think though that they should be used in the rougher areas (north london, south-east london etc.), but not elsewhere. The fact that many people in those areas do carry weapons and ARE dangerous means that they should be just as protected. And to ur last point Gomme, if someone is gonna steal a gun, they'd probably already know someone who could get them one anyway, so that isnt really a valid point imo

[GommeInc]

I somewhat agree, i think though that they should be used in the rougher areas (north london, south-east london etc.), but not elsewhere. The fact that many people in those areas do carry weapons and ARE dangerous means that they should be just as protected. And to ur last point Gomme, if someone is gonna steal a gun, they'd probably already know someone who could get them one anyway, so that isnt really a valid point imo
How does that person get a gun then? :P All firearms have to be licensed unless they're something like a BB gun or an air rifle (though the latter may vary, and are hard to get anyway). If someone is supplying those weapons then they must be getting them illegitimately, or building them using stolen parts and replicas :P

Although North London is potentially dangerous, gun crime and other weapons is quite low. Arming the police won't really make it any easier, and would be quite costly. The chances of one man and a knife against at least two officers is pretty low, and officers can get backup within minutes, with some officers carrying tasers and spray which are pretty effective.

[Nemo]

How does that person get a gun then? :P All firearms have to be licensed unless they're something like a BB gun or an air rifle (though the latter may vary, and are hard to get anyway). If someone is supplying those weapons then they must be getting them illegitimately, or building them using stolen parts and replicas :P
that's what im thinking :P, and if someone is prepared to steal a gun from the police, im sure they won't be against getting them through illegal ways.

[Richie]

If someone in my family was to go into the police force I would agree they should have weapons. If no-one from my family was from the police force I would disagree 'Weapons are dangerous so no'. Thats only because I'm bias :P.

[RedStratocas]

Police know not to abuse their power and would know the consequences if they did.

hahaha i lol'd at this.

i dont think you guys in the uk need to arm your officers, seems kinda pointless since theres virtually no guns around there from what i understand.

[Rockstar63]

My Opinion yes because what happens if there is an armed robery or police need to do a drug raid? and only fully trained armed officers should have guns i agree with Constables and Sergeants and the rest having a Taser gun because they dont kill but i defo wouldnt let PCSO's have a taser untill they are a Constable ;)

[KebabJuice]

If gun crime and knife crime is on the rise of course police should be armed. humans are capable of anything no matter how horrid the consequences are. We kill ourselves with our own creation.

Although saying that i believe in second chances. if you get a tazer gun they won't be able to retaliate due to 40,000 volts frying their body. Its a win win situation really. aslong as the policemen tazers him before he gets stabbed/shot of course.

[RedStratocas]

If gun crime and knife crime is on the rise of course police should be armed. humans are capable of anything no matter how horrid the consequences are. We kill ourselves with our own creation.

i dont like the whole "solve gun crime with more guns" argument. you're saying humans are capable of anything and kill with guns, and the solution to this is giving people more guns? police are humans too, and are just as capable of mistakes/horrible crimes as any other human.

[Oleh]

Well they have to be, otherwise they'd be 'armless.

I think they should, all these yob's running around with shivs and projectiles, they should atleast have some sort of neutraliser to calm the situation (bean bags) or splurge guns.

[Jorc]

Yes, if the criminal could potentially be armed they should be able to have some back up. Now I know some cops take things to the extreme like pepper spray and tazers. Thats just crazy lol. They should be able to defend themselves though.

[Slowpoke]

Police know not to abuse their power and would know the consequences if they did.

Some do. Recently there was a story in the news about a policeman who when arresting a man over a year ago, repeatedly bashed his head off a curb and then rubbed his cheek against the tarmac on a road. He obviously denied the accusations and it was only a few weeks ago that CCTV proved the accusations true.

However, I do believe police should be armed - mainly because most criminals are.

[Shockwave.2CC]

Yes, if the criminal could potentially be armed they should be able to have some back up. Now I know some cops take things to the extreme like pepper spray and tazers. Thats just crazy lol. They should be able to defend themselves though.

Yeah, that's what i think aswell

`--||||||||----------------------]
./_==o _________________]
...),---.(_(__) /
..// (\) ),----".'
.//___//
...//;__//

Lol that failed

[Special]

yeah just incase of a emergency. what harm is it doing to anyone carrying them around anyway? if anything it scares them which is a good thing

[Jordy]

yeah just incase of a emergency. what harm is it doing to anyone carrying them around anyway? if anything it scares them which is a good thingIt would cost an absolute fortune, it'd take weeks of training and then there's the cost of actually arming them. I honestly think we'd be into the hundreds of millions to pay for this. Only a few officers are shot dead every year, some of these wouldn't even be preventable by the officer simply having a gun.

So in effect for the hundreds of millions of pounds we don't have to fund it, it would possibly save 3 or 4 lives every year. Then of course there's the fact, gun crime would rise as criminals would also need to carry guns if officers did. It's inevitable some police would use them accidentally or inappropriately resulting in many more deaths and there's always the chance they could be stolen and fall into the wrong hands. It would also distance the relationship between the Police and the community which is a vital link.

[kuzkasate]

I'm Russian & in Russia, police are armed, went Germany too, their armed aswell. I think police should be because if a criminal is getting a way & you have no way of catching him, a bullet in the leg wont kill him & it'll capture him.

[Jordy]

I'm Russian & in Russia, police are armed, went Germany too, their armed aswell. I think police should be because if a criminal is getting a way & you have no way of catching him, a bullet in the leg wont kill him & it'll capture him.That's exactly my problem with the police having guns, just because someone is running away does not mean you need to shoot them. First of all it is very difficult to shoot limbs etc just to disable them, the chances of shooting them somewhere else and killing them or causing them grave injury is enormous. It's a total disproportionate use of force.

If they are a threat and have a gun/bomb then they should be killed rather than simply shot in the leg. For example armed police in the UK will always shoot to kill and nothing else, and seeing as they only do this when there is a real threat, the rules surrounding it are pretty black & white.