Police and Firearms

The UK has a lot to thanks Sir Robert Peel for, but one of his best decisions was not to arm the English Police.  Peel was influential in the development of the Royal Irish Constabulary, a force based on paramilitary principles whereby the officers were armed and lived in barracks.  The RIC model was used as a basis for the development of policing in India which at that time was a part of the British Empire. However, Peel wanted the Metropolitan Police in London to be less confrontational, so they were armed with a rattle and a baton that had to be kept hidden.

 

It is a myth to state that the police in the UK have never been armed.  Some inspectors in the 1800s were armed with a pistol and when the occasion arose some staff were armed with a sabre.  However, over the years the carrying of firearms became less and less.  I can remember when I first started my police career some 30 years ago that there was a large safe in our Divisional HQ that contained firearms, but I was never too sure whether they were actually used.

 

Following a number of high profile shooting incidents most, if not all police forces in the UK, have an operational firearms capability.  In my old force we would usually have six double crewed vehicles with officers armed with a sidearm and an MP5.  A number would have carried a less than lethal option until Taser became common place.  Now there are a number of 'non forearms' officers that carry Tasers.  The rest carry CS gas spray.

 

Of course, the weapons and training are of an extremely high calibre (sic).  I have trained with the Armed Response Officers and have seen them in action.  They are extremely professional and I take my hat off to them.

However, I recall being on an official police visit to India and having armed police officers wherever we went.  I spoke to one of the officers who was carrying an old World War Two Enfield rifle.  When I looked at it the bolt and the rest of the weapon was rusted solid.  The best that it could have been used for was to club someone!

 

We sometimes forget how fortunate we are to have so few firearms incidents in the UK, especially those involving police officers.  Police officers in the USA face the threat of firearms being used against them on a daily basis.  I would ask you to spare a thought for two female officers killed in the line of duty in the past week.

 

Jillian Michelle Smith from Arlington was killed in the line of duty when she attended a domestic abuse call.  The offender returned to the house and began shooting.  This officer died protecting a child from being hurt.  Deputy Sheriff Suzanne Hooper was killed in the  line of duty in Clark County when she and colleagues attended a call to a man shooting from his caravan. 

 

The deaths of these officers, whilst tragic, should be a timely reminder of the threat that all police officers, wherever they are, face on a day to day basis.