General Chat

No I don't think all police should carry fire arms. I think we have it right where we call in professional armed police when we need them

Bob, they dont carry pepper spray. CS isn't a gas, its an aerosol born irritant. Both subject to S5 regulations, as are tasers. A baton is an offensive weapon - but offensive weapons are perrmitted under the 'lawful authority' clause, as are handcuffs, but it's not an offense for someone else to carry them. They are quite lawful I do believe certain emporiums have a varied selection for sale.

Anyone can carry a camera! There are several thousand armed officers in the UK and the incidence of negligent harm is tiny compared to that of lawful certificate holders, so it's yet another urban myth that gets thrown around by the disenfranchised pistol shooters that the situation is otherwise.

HI everybody
thank you for your comments
i to think things are ok here as they are

The Police ARE armed..
they are required to carry items that could get any member of the public put in the slammer for carrying, ie
pepper spray
Cs gas
a baton,
handcuffs
film cameras.
tasers/stun guns

..from what I have heard it is a good thing that there are as few officers issued with firearms , as there have been many cases of them doing harm to themselves or their fellow officers by inappropriate /careless use...

ther are enough guns on the streets as it without old bill adding to the number........

No they should not carry firearms as a matter of course..
Bob

Hi Joy No I think things should stay as they are at the moment.

No. Absolutely, definitely, not. I accept that there are rare situations when it is better that they are armed; but, even so, I can think of 3 cases when innocent people have been killed by police marksmen.

Hi Joy, sorry but l would hate to see our police armed, l think our police do a good job with what they have and can always call for firearms if needed.

No, definetely not. There's no need for it. Confrontations with armed criminals are rare, depsite what you read and see in the press.

no i think it should stay as it is,


xxx

NO from me. Emmax

A definate NO.**M**.

in a poll the british public said 64% NO
but apart from new zealand AND US
most police forces are armed

wrote my opinion and argued myself out of it in the same breath lol....and back again...

No I don't think they should, for several reasons.

I would assume that all armed police as we have
them now, specialists, are vetted for character and
restraint. Arming all police would make that difficult

It would make for perhaps more of an 'us and them' feeling than there already is in some quarters against the police, if ones local bobby on the beat was armed.

But my main thought is that we don't *need* fully armed police as yet, in America where I have walked behind Los Angeles cops with guns clearly visible, it is a constitutional right to carry arms. so many have them , upstanding citizens and criminals alike it would be foolish to have unarmed police.... that isn't the case here.

The more guns the more potential for damage.

They may not carry firearms but they are armed with tear gas and their batons.. as for firearms as my previous post states big no no..

People should respect the Police but sadly there are those who don't, who roam around with knives, guns etc etc. The Police have a very hard job keeping law and order and I think as a society we have to accept that sometimes we need to be ruled with a rod of iron.

If Policemen/women wish as individuals to be armed, then I think they should be allowed to be.

If you have done nothing wrong then you should be safe.

As it stands I am happy with who is armed like airport police and only use armed officers when required, if they were to be armed all the time I think it could result in too many inquires or the police hating brigade shouting unlawful killings, in my opinion the police are human too, the stress may be too much.

Absolutely not. But with armed police available, as is the case now. I think if all police were armed, then more would be shot at and killed/injured, as is the case in America, I believe.

Love

Daff xxxxx

WHAT do you think