Why British police don’t have guns

in reality, all of this has been a total load of old bollocks

Should the Police be routinely armed?

Yes
3
12%
No
22
88%
 
Total votes: 25

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The Prof
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Why British police don’t have guns

Postby The Prof » 19 Sep 2012, 11:18

Interesting article on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19641398

Oddly a 2006 survey suggests 82% of police don't want to be armed yet another survey the following year says 72% of the public want them to be armed. :?

To be clear they do sometimes carry guns but not routinely like they do in a lot of other countries.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby The Prof » 19 Sep 2012, 11:19

Oh aye - you can place a vote and see if BCB agrees with the public or the plod.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby GoogaMooga » 19 Sep 2012, 11:22

The British Police were in the Danish news last night, two unarmed constables had been shot. Danish police used to be unarmed like the British police, but those days are long gone. Of course they should be armed.
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby The Prof » 19 Sep 2012, 11:24

GoogaMooga wrote:The British Police were in the Danish news last night, two unarmed constables had been shot.


That's what sparked the article I linked to.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby Deebank » 19 Sep 2012, 11:25

Fuck no.

That recent shooting in New York... They got the bad guy but they also shot (what was it?) nine bystanders.

Of course the UK police would also be armed if something like that happened in London say, but there isn't actually a problem is there?
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby andymacandy » 19 Sep 2012, 11:32

The Prof wrote:
GoogaMooga wrote:The British Police were in the Danish news last night, two unarmed constables had been shot.


That's what sparked the article I linked to.

Lured into a trap by a false burglary report, and attacked with a gun and a grenade.
Not sure what difference being armed would have made under those circumstances.
I think arming them would actually put them under greater risk-make them more of a target-and I think we have the balance about right in having armed officers available if needed.
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby funky_nomad » 19 Sep 2012, 11:34

I see unarmed police as being an excellent indicator of a generally safe and, dare I say it, progressive society.

I'd say the UK gets the balance right on the whole, which is why incidents like yesterday are so shocking to us, rather than mundane.
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby Rated B » 19 Sep 2012, 11:41

Absolutely not.
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby the masked man » 19 Sep 2012, 11:42

When I was incapacitated in hospital while recovering from a bad leg-break, the routine was unpleasantly disturbed by the arrival of (apparently) a high-security on the ward. He was ushered into the ward handcuffed to his bed and was hidden into a locked room at the end of the ward. What really shocked me was that police armed with machine guns were stationed at the doors of the ward; in order to obtain access during visiting hours, my parents had to tell the officer the name of the person they were visiting, while staring down the barrel of his gun.

As I'd always thought that UK police were unarmed, the whole incident was quite unnerving. Police were wandering through the ward at all times, and I sensed that the nurses were stressed out by the whole thing. I felt threatened, and wary that the ward could potentially be the site of a bloody gun battle like the ones you might see in a John Woo film. So I was really pleased when, after four or five days, the circus moved on and the ward returned to normal.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby der nister » 19 Sep 2012, 11:58

no, i always think of the brazilian guy murdered in the tube

however, they should have tazers, and obviously armed units when needed
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby bhoywonder » 19 Sep 2012, 12:00

funky_nomad wrote:I see unarmed police as being an excellent indicator of a generally safe and, dare I say it, progressive society.

I'd say the UK gets the balance right on the whole, which is why incidents like yesterday are so shocking to us, rather than mundane.


This. Much as it pains me to agrees with funky.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby the hanging monkey » 19 Sep 2012, 12:06

I don't trust the police, so I certainly don't want them to have guns.
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby doctorlouie » 19 Sep 2012, 12:14

the hanging monkey wrote:I don't trust the police, so I certainly don't want them to have guns.


Funny isn't it that this time last week (or so), we were all bemoaning the fact that the police lied, sought to discredit the dead, covered they tracks and so on. I realise that the two unfortunate coppers killed yesterday were nothing to do with that and grew up in a post-Hillsborough world, but I wonder when people will start to join the dots.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby Limpin' Jez McKenzie » 19 Sep 2012, 12:15

funky_nomad wrote:I see unarmed police as being an excellent indicator of a generally safe and, dare I say it, progressive society.

I'd say the UK gets the balance right on the whole, which is why incidents like yesterday are so shocking to us, rather than mundane.



Quite right.

Obviously they do carry guns in heightened situations - police at airports tend to have guns, as did a significant number (but not a mojority) of the police on duty at the Olympic and Paralympic games.
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby Your Friendly Neighbourhood Postman » 19 Sep 2012, 12:26

funky_nomad wrote:I see unarmed police as being an excellent indicator of a generally safe and, dare I say it, progressive society.

I'd say the UK gets the balance right on the whole, which is why incidents like yesterday are so shocking to us, rather than mundane.


Seconded, and Andymacandy is right too: carrying a pistol or a larger gun will invite heavier pre-emptive violence against officers.
On the whole, I'd rather be in Wallenpaupack.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby The Prof » 19 Sep 2012, 12:35

brotherlouie wrote:
the hanging monkey wrote:I don't trust the police, so I certainly don't want them to have guns.


Funny isn't it that this time last week (or so), we were all bemoaning the fact that the police lied, sought to discredit the dead, covered they tracks and so on. I realise that the two unfortunate coppers killed yesterday were nothing to do with that and grew up in a post-Hillsborough world, but I wonder when people will start to join the dots.


What interests me about that is that so many statements were changed. In other words, the police that were there on the ground told the truth (possibly/probably knowing that those higher up the force wouldn't like it) and had their honest recollections altered.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby quix » 19 Sep 2012, 12:35

arming the British police would put the public at risk as it would increase criminal arms use. the reason the sentencing of criminals usings guns against the police is so hefty is because the police are unarmed. as soon as you arm police criminals tool up to match, putting more people, not just the police, at greater risk.

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby The Modernist » 19 Sep 2012, 12:40

My dad, who was a copper, was armed. He hid his gun, which was a revolver, on top of the wardrobe.
I'd sneak it out (along with a Fiesta mag I also found up there) and show my friends. Luckily I never took it to school!

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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby Your Friendly Neighbourhood Postman » 19 Sep 2012, 12:43

TheModernist wrote:My dad, who was a copper, was armed. He hid his gun, which was a revolver, on top of the wardrobe.
I'd sneak it out (along with a Fiesta mag I also found up there) and show my friends. Luckily I never took it to school!


Was Fiesta what I think it is? :shock:

Did you get traumatised, and have expensive therapy as a result?
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Re: Why British police don’t have guns

Postby Deebank » 19 Sep 2012, 12:53

TheModernist wrote:My dad, who was a copper, was armed. He hid his gun, which was a revolver, on top of the wardrobe.
I'd sneak it out (along with a Fiesta mag I also found up there) and show my friends. Luckily I never took it to school!


The jazz mag or the gun? :?
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