Whilst surfing the net i came across this on :-
A survey has revealed that almost three out of ten police officers have been threatened with a knife while on duty.
Nearly 6 per cent, amounting to about 7,000 officers, have been threatened with a gun.
So with the seeming rise of reported violent crime, is it time for all police to be armed?
Would you feel safer knowing every single police officer was carrying a deadly weapon?
What is your views
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Should we arm the police
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Sex God
Quote by felixx1416
I am on the fence i can see the good point and i can also see the bad points
just relised i should have put a don't know option as well
So will you share those good and bad points?
I'll come back to this when I have a bit more time
ok firstly i will explaine i do have a problem with the police in my area on the ground i have been robbed five time had five motorcycles stolen and even when we caught someone stealing one and dialed 999 we got told to dial the non emegency number as this was not classed as a emergency 
i think we should first look at how we are policed at the moment after every theft i have had i have never seen a police officer i'm still waiting for the inspecter to ring me back after the last theft.
But i do feel the police have the right to protect themselves if a criminal pulls a gun on them all they have to rely on is deplomacy and the hope the person will not use the gun. we also have the poblem with we are only human and everyone get nervous invertable things can go wrong and innocent people good get hurt.
If we did arm the police who would train them?
Should we have more specilist fire arm teams?
i think we should first look at how we are policed at the moment after every theft i have had i have never seen a police officer i'm still waiting for the inspecter to ring me back after the last theft.
But i do feel the police have the right to protect themselves if a criminal pulls a gun on them all they have to rely on is deplomacy and the hope the person will not use the gun. we also have the poblem with we are only human and everyone get nervous invertable things can go wrong and innocent people good get hurt.
If we did arm the police who would train them?
Should we have more specilist fire arm teams?
Sex God
Quote by felixx1416
ok firstly i will explaine i do have a problem with the police in my area on the ground i have been robbed five time had five motorcycles stolen ...
Report them to the Police Authority, If our local police were robbing me and stealing my bikes I know I would!!!!!
Excuse the flippancy, I couldn't resist it and its been a long day. If you are unhappy with service report it, the Police are no different than any other service when it comes to complaints procedures I believe.
If we did arm the police who would train them?
Police Firearms Instructors
Areyou aware that these instructors also get to train some of the UK's most elite military units in the skills and tactics of house entry? I'm sure I read that somewhere. So they cant be that bad.Should we have more specilist fire arm teams?
Why?, How many do we have at present? Ball park figure kind of thing
Sex God
For what it's worth, and it's only fair I give my own opinion, I'm not sure I'd trust some Police Officers with a baton and cs spray let alone a firearm.
That puts me in the no camp for routine arming I suppose
That puts me in the no camp for routine arming I suppose
Quote by the_Laird
For what it's worth, and it's only fair I give my own opinion, I'm not sure I'd trust some Police Officers with a baton and cs spray let alone a firearm.
That puts me in the no camp for routine arming I suppose
:thumbup:
agreed............
although i agree with the present specialist armed response units that exist ......... i dont agree with routine arming for the same reason as Laird
The problem with the lets arm the police debate is that the only reason we are having it is because crime is so bad. I feel the reason for this is the courts, how many times do we read about the scum bag with 35 previous convictions who has killed someone.
Please don't blame the police, they are just as fed up with it as we are.
Please don't blame the police, they are just as fed up with it as we are.
Quote by browning
The problem with the lets arm the police debate is that the only reason we are having it is because crime is so bad. I feel the reason for this is the courts, how many times do we read about the scum bag with 35 previous convictions who has killed someone.
Please don't blame the police, they are just as fed up with it as we are.
its not just the courts its all the bloomin do gooders out there saying "ooh please your lordship my client has had such a bad childhood he just needs some love and attention and maybe a free holiday or two" yea right lock the bugger up an throw the bloomin keys away i say and the do gooders in there with em to boot .
oh :!: an while in there no telly, library or indeed any perks give em a sledge hammer an a few rocks to break
:D :D That tends to bring it all in some persepective Jags.
I know these people know when they become police officers that they are putting their lives on the line as with our military personnel.
With the military they are usually only armed if there is a war situation, well our streets are war zones therefore most police officers should be armed.
Gone are the days when police officers were respected by the majority, a clip round the ear and threat of taking you home to your parents was enough to put the fear of god into the kids on the streets
I'm not saying all police officers should have weapons, there are some bad ones out there that couldn't be trusted. But with the right selection process and correct training I see no reason why the majority of our force shouldn't be given weapons to protect themselves and us.
I know these people know when they become police officers that they are putting their lives on the line as with our military personnel.
With the military they are usually only armed if there is a war situation, well our streets are war zones therefore most police officers should be armed.
Gone are the days when police officers were respected by the majority, a clip round the ear and threat of taking you home to your parents was enough to put the fear of god into the kids on the streets
I'm not saying all police officers should have weapons, there are some bad ones out there that couldn't be trusted. But with the right selection process and correct training I see no reason why the majority of our force shouldn't be given weapons to protect themselves and us.
Orgasminator
no way should every cop bear arms, there are enough over agressive meat-heads in the force already. no need to boost their power trip.
I'm in the No camp on this one.
As much as I agree that in some areas, being in uniform can turn you into a sitting duck for any type of abuse ranging from verbal, physical assault or at worst, becoming a target for any nutter with a weapon, I don't see how arming officers will do anything other than escalate the situation.
The whole structure of the legal system needs to be radically changed. Turn prison back into a punishment, not some bleeding holiday camp. Ever see Bad Lads Army on tv? Why can't we have that sort of treatment for repeat offenders? Sod the PC brigade and their human rights bollocks. If you do the crime, you should face the time. Make prison a much harsher place to be and kids would have second thoughts about getting caught in the first place.
After all, the car-jackers and house burglars of today could be the gang members, drug dealers and cop killers of tomorrow.
As much as I agree that in some areas, being in uniform can turn you into a sitting duck for any type of abuse ranging from verbal, physical assault or at worst, becoming a target for any nutter with a weapon, I don't see how arming officers will do anything other than escalate the situation.
The whole structure of the legal system needs to be radically changed. Turn prison back into a punishment, not some bleeding holiday camp. Ever see Bad Lads Army on tv? Why can't we have that sort of treatment for repeat offenders? Sod the PC brigade and their human rights bollocks. If you do the crime, you should face the time. Make prison a much harsher place to be and kids would have second thoughts about getting caught in the first place.
After all, the car-jackers and house burglars of today could be the gang members, drug dealers and cop killers of tomorrow.
We visited London recently, and I have to admit, seeing police officers armed with what I assume are some kind of sub-machine gun (apologies to the experts, I don't know much about guns) did make me feel both uneasy and sad. I really don't know if I would like to see every police officer walking around with a gun.
Having said that, when we have visited European countries where the police ARE armed, we certainly haven't witnessed the binge-drinking, mob culture behaviour from the local teenagers that you can see in any town or city here in the UK. Is that because they have respect for/fear of the police?
If I could be sure that arming the police would make our streets a safer place I would be all for it.
Having said that, when we have visited European countries where the police ARE armed, we certainly haven't witnessed the binge-drinking, mob culture behaviour from the local teenagers that you can see in any town or city here in the UK. Is that because they have respect for/fear of the police?
If I could be sure that arming the police would make our streets a safer place I would be all for it.
I don't think we should arm more police-there are specialist firearm teams already for any situation that demands it.
There is a big enough drug/gang/gun culture in the UK as it is, would not more armed officers incite more dealers/gang members to become armed in response?
There is also the financial cost to consider, more armed officers=more training=more outlay for individual forces and given the current situation I don't believe that is money some forces have to spare.
Then there are the inevitable mistakes that de-sade has listed. Yes we all make mistakes, but I don't know many people who could live with the mistake of shooting the wrong person
Just my thoughts ;)
Minx x x
There is a big enough drug/gang/gun culture in the UK as it is, would not more armed officers incite more dealers/gang members to become armed in response?
There is also the financial cost to consider, more armed officers=more training=more outlay for individual forces and given the current situation I don't believe that is money some forces have to spare.
Then there are the inevitable mistakes that de-sade has listed. Yes we all make mistakes, but I don't know many people who could live with the mistake of shooting the wrong person
Just my thoughts ;)
Minx x x
Sex God
My answer to that question is an emphatic NO! I don't believe ANYONE has the right to take the life of someone else. No if's no buts.
I understand that there are many peeps on here that would say yeah but, no but etc etc but thats my view and no-one will change it.
Love
FIRExxx
For once NOT sitting on a fence
I understand that there are many peeps on here that would say yeah but, no but etc etc but thats my view and no-one will change it.
Love
FIRExxx
For once NOT sitting on a fence
Orgasminator
I find the thought of armed Police very scary.
So its a no from me.
An armed response unit is fine, but ordinary police men, no thanks
So its a no from me.
An armed response unit is fine, but ordinary police men, no thanks
Not sure about going as far as arming every police officer but living in a city where the police DO carry firearms as part of a daily street patrol, or beat officers as some may know them. The change in the local scum bag loud mouthed lousy crime causing bad breathed hoodlums is dramatic.... not to mention there teenage kids ff's.
Seriously sinse they have the right to carry arms the kids have more respect and the parents who allowed all the crap in the first place have found new ways to use there mouths mainly to rein in there lovely offspring ..
Who in there right minds would want to be a police officer today without some sort of weapon... respect is creeping back sinse the new powers, cs spray batons and guns have a dramatic effect on crime.
Mike
Seriously sinse they have the right to carry arms the kids have more respect and the parents who allowed all the crap in the first place have found new ways to use there mouths mainly to rein in there lovely offspring ..
Who in there right minds would want to be a police officer today without some sort of weapon... respect is creeping back sinse the new powers, cs spray batons and guns have a dramatic effect on crime.
Mike
a big NO here too, all it would do is bring chaos to this country, as some officers would use the said weapon every time they felt threatened or were put in a vulnerable position, lets be honest how many times do we hear or read about police officers using over excessive force on people and not just criminals, it’s scary to even think that at some stage these said officers might be carrying guns. As for police having the right to defend themselves well so do we and those police statistics shown are not a patch on the threats carried out on normal law abiding citizens like ourselves. Does that mean we should be armed? Because having to wait 45 mins for an armed police officer to turn up when someone has a knife at your throat wont help you.
No, because I truly believe the majority of serving officers wouldn't want a firearm, there's also the cost & other issues of psych evaluations and fitness testing as well as the other specialised training they would need on a continual basis.
Too many officers off the street, which is already a problem.
I do think the tazers are a good idea though, as there are too many overly violent people who are pretty much immune to CS effects when they are rampaging.
The dogs are still one of the best weapons, under utilised in most forces though and horses for crowd control, but unfortunatly they keep trying to decrease the majority of the units.
Jas
XXX
Too many officers off the street, which is already a problem.
I do think the tazers are a good idea though, as there are too many overly violent people who are pretty much immune to CS effects when they are rampaging.
The dogs are still one of the best weapons, under utilised in most forces though and horses for crowd control, but unfortunatly they keep trying to decrease the majority of the units.
Jas
XXX
Quote by Jas-Tim
I do think the tazers are a good idea though, as there are too many overly violent people who are pretty much immune to CS effects when they are rampaging.
i think this is a very valid point........
whilst i happen to think that the police are able to apprehend enough crims using the usual methods there is often a need to take down the more aggressive and violent criminals. most major forces have recognised and speciallt trained units for these types of situations and all in all i believe that the police are pretty succesful in aprehending those they want to arrest. sometimes they succed simply by stregnth in numbers, rather than having to use deadly force.
ive already said that i dont believe in routinely arming the police... but i do quite like the idea of arming more police with non-lethal weapons.
i think it would be more of a deterrant.
I really don't know. Some years ago i had a girlfriend whos dad was an old military officer. We often had chats about stuff, Regarding Guns, He said that if he had ever had to use it he would have felt a failiure. because he would have put himself and his command in such a position that he would have to defend himself. Waving it around was often enough to "enforce" his orders but it was only a bluff. and if his troops or the enemy really didn't like it, then they were more heavly armed and there was more of them ! When he died we found he had kept his revolver. I held it, thought about keeping it but realised ( apart from being illegal) that it was a heavy lump to carry, it scared me to death holding it and really if I ever had to use it then maybe I would say how the hell did I ever get into such a situation, there must be better ways to enforce order ? maybe dis arming criminals rather than arming those who uphold the law ?
The problem with a thread like this is that ordinary members of the public give an opinion on arming the police without knowing anything about firearms. The names of alledged innocent victims of police shootings always get brought up. If the police shoot someone who is innocent then there should be a full and proper investigation, and there always is.
However, we must try and understand the circumstances surrounding the shooting. I would urge everybody to read a couple of books by a guy called Steve Collins, an ex armed police officer, it's amazing how many people the police DON'T shoot.
Shootings by criminals are so regular now we don't even hear about them, and yet a criminal with a gun still only get's on average 5 yrs.
The criminal justice system in this country is a joke!.
However, we must try and understand the circumstances surrounding the shooting. I would urge everybody to read a couple of books by a guy called Steve Collins, an ex armed police officer, it's amazing how many people the police DON'T shoot.
Shootings by criminals are so regular now we don't even hear about them, and yet a criminal with a gun still only get's on average 5 yrs.
The criminal justice system in this country is a joke!.
Orgasminator
I'd have to say 'No' as well.
I guess most of us know a copper or two and one or two that I knew it would be very scary to think that they were let loose on the streets with a gun.
I think arming the police would just lead to an escalation of gun crime (if it could get any worse that is). Since moving to Nottingham from London I've found it's the gun-crime capital of Britain (or is it Europe? Can't remember now).
Rather than arming police I think there should just be more of them, and proper bobbies too, not these hobby-bobbies. Good a job as they do are they really respected by the public?
And when armed police are required there seem to be plenty of them & on the scene pretty quickly.
Even these highly trained blokes make huge cock-ups, John De Menezes for example. So how many more would there be if every copper had a gun?
Yep, deffo 'No' to guns but more cops & more prisons & tougher sentences so the buggers are not only caught but banged up in a prison & not some sort of hotel.
I guess most of us know a copper or two and one or two that I knew it would be very scary to think that they were let loose on the streets with a gun.
I think arming the police would just lead to an escalation of gun crime (if it could get any worse that is). Since moving to Nottingham from London I've found it's the gun-crime capital of Britain (or is it Europe? Can't remember now).
Rather than arming police I think there should just be more of them, and proper bobbies too, not these hobby-bobbies. Good a job as they do are they really respected by the public?
And when armed police are required there seem to be plenty of them & on the scene pretty quickly.
Even these highly trained blokes make huge cock-ups, John De Menezes for example. So how many more would there be if every copper had a gun?
Yep, deffo 'No' to guns but more cops & more prisons & tougher sentences so the buggers are not only caught but banged up in a prison & not some sort of hotel.
Well i voted yes.
Why?
The problem already is out of hand, there are that many untraceable weapons in the hands of criminals already, that the battle is already an unfair one sided one, an inert 'de-activated' weapon can be re-activated with tools freely available in any DIY shop.
Is it fair of us to expect our general every day police force to face down automatic weapon toting criminals with a small container of a 'does'nt always work' incapacitant and two feet of steel? Now bear in mind that in the time it takes to deploy and rack a baton, (roughly two seconds) an automatic weapon will on average be able to fire at least 10 rounds, its all a bit one sided. I agree that police should not routinely respond to incidents overtly carrying firearms however, the firearms should be available within the vehicle responding, enabling the police to react with equal force as and when necessary.
Armed response units are a start but what happens when any in the area are already dealing with a firearms related incident? Do we then say to the unarmed officers 'back off?' Leaving the criminal to make good his escape or worse still take a few innocent people with him/her, yes mistakes will and do happen, however a lot of the mistakes that happen (not all by any stretch of the imagination) are caused im afraid by the behaviour of the shot person. But how many lives couldve been saved if the first on scene officer had a weapon available to him or her? Hungerford anyone?
I should add i write this from a purely Joe Public point of view, i do feel that those who do no wrong have nothing to fear from the police whether armed or not.
Why?
The problem already is out of hand, there are that many untraceable weapons in the hands of criminals already, that the battle is already an unfair one sided one, an inert 'de-activated' weapon can be re-activated with tools freely available in any DIY shop.
Is it fair of us to expect our general every day police force to face down automatic weapon toting criminals with a small container of a 'does'nt always work' incapacitant and two feet of steel? Now bear in mind that in the time it takes to deploy and rack a baton, (roughly two seconds) an automatic weapon will on average be able to fire at least 10 rounds, its all a bit one sided. I agree that police should not routinely respond to incidents overtly carrying firearms however, the firearms should be available within the vehicle responding, enabling the police to react with equal force as and when necessary.
Armed response units are a start but what happens when any in the area are already dealing with a firearms related incident? Do we then say to the unarmed officers 'back off?' Leaving the criminal to make good his escape or worse still take a few innocent people with him/her, yes mistakes will and do happen, however a lot of the mistakes that happen (not all by any stretch of the imagination) are caused im afraid by the behaviour of the shot person. But how many lives couldve been saved if the first on scene officer had a weapon available to him or her? Hungerford anyone?
I should add i write this from a purely Joe Public point of view, i do feel that those who do no wrong have nothing to fear from the police whether armed or not.
We already have a routinly armed Police Service, The Mod Police.
I agree with some of the replies on this topic, asking ordinary members of the public to react on this subject is not wise. They only have the benefit of information read in papers or news articles to aid judgement, it goes much deeper than that. Dont watch fiction on tv and think that portrays what happens for real, we are the most controlled country in the world (yep even more than Russia), the most politically correct and obsessed with health and safety. Do you really think a Police officer would shoot anybody unless his or an innocent life was at stake.
TO HIGH A PRICE.........
I agree with some of the replies on this topic, asking ordinary members of the public to react on this subject is not wise. They only have the benefit of information read in papers or news articles to aid judgement, it goes much deeper than that. Dont watch fiction on tv and think that portrays what happens for real, we are the most controlled country in the world (yep even more than Russia), the most politically correct and obsessed with health and safety. Do you really think a Police officer would shoot anybody unless his or an innocent life was at stake.
TO HIGH A PRICE.........
