Police use of firearms in the United Kingdom
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In the United Kingdom police firearm policy varies by constituent countries. In Northern Ireland, all police officers carry firearms whereas in the rest of the United Kingdom, firearms are carried only by specially-trained firearms officers. The arming of police in Great Britain is a much debated topic. [citation needed]
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary), Northern Ireland Security Guard Service, Ministry of Defence Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Belfast Harbour Police, Belfast International Airport Constabulary, and some of the Specialist Operations units of the Metropolitan Police involved in firearms and counter-terrorism policing are all issued firearms as a matter of routine. Every force also has a firearms unit, with armed response vehicles.
The vast majority of officers are instead issued with other items for personal defence, such as
Since 2004, police forces have issued
History
The history of officers not being armed originates from the formation of the
Ireland
The
Northern Ireland
Male members of Northern Ireland's police force, the
Northern Ireland also has a ballistics register, which covers both police and civilian-held firearms. It is mandated that during registration, all weapons undergo test firing and that the fired bullet and cartridge case must be stored by the police for the purpose of forensic examination. This is in the event that the weapon is used in a crime or when determining lawful shooting for police officers.[10]
There is an emerging view that the exceptionalism of the Northern Ireland police force is already fading.[
Great Britain
Police use of firearms in Great Britain has been tightly limited with senior officers, politicians and the general public preferring forces to retain an approach of policing by respect and consent.[11]
During the
On 1 June 1940, 3,500
After the Second World War, concerns were aired by the
Historically, officers on night patrols in some London divisions were frequently armed with
The issue of routine arming in Great Britain was raised after the 1952
To allow armed officers to respond rapidly to an incident, most forces have patrolling
Although largely attributable to a significant increase in the use of imitation firearms and air weapons,[16] the overall increase in firearms crime between 1998/99 and 2002/03[16] (it has been decreasing since 2003/04, although use of imitations continued to rise)[16] has kept this issue in the spotlight. In October 2000, Nottinghamshire Police introduced regular armed patrols to the St Ann's and Meadows estates in Nottingham, in response to fourteen drug-related shootings in the two areas in the previous year.[17] Although the measure was not intended to be permanent, patrols were stepped up in late 2001 after further shootings,[18] after which the firearms crime declined dramatically.[19]
In September 2004, the
In 2010, following the serious injury of an unarmed officer in a knife attack, the chairman of the Police Memorial Trust, Michael Winner stated that he had put up memorials to 44 officers and that he believed, "It is almost certain that at least 38 of those [Police Officers] would be alive had they been armed".[22] In response, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Peter Smyth said, "A lot of police officers don't want to be armed. We don't want a call to arms, I don't think that's necessary."[23]
In relation to specialist firearms officers, in the year 2011–12, there were 6,756
In 2013, Police Scotland was formed with the inaugural Chief Constable granting a standing authority for ARV officers to overtly wear handguns, instead of being secured or concealed, and to deploy their weapons without requiring approval and also to be tasked for routine incidents (non-firearms incidents).[25][26] A survey conducted by the Scottish Police Authority showed that 53% of the public supported sending ARV officers to routine calls and incidents while wearing a visible sidearm.[27] [28]
In May 2014, the Firearms Act 1968 was amended to recognise the British Transport Police (BTP) as a police force under the Act in order to provide BTP a firearms licensing exemption the same as other police forces.[29] BTP had, since armed policing commenced in February 2012, required an Authorised Firearms Officer (AFO) to apply to their local police force in a private capacity for a firearms certificate to enable them to perform the AFO role.[30]
In February 2015, The Times reported that most forces in England and Wales dispatch armed officers to domestic incidents and other routine police call-outs based on information released under Freedom of Information laws; of the 43 police forces sent a request by the Times, half gave only partial information or rejected requests outright.[31]
Surveys by the Police Federation of England and Wales have continued to show police officers' considerable resistance to routine arming. Although in the Federation's most recent (2017) Officer/Arming survey, 66% of respondents were against the routine arming of police compared to 82% in 2006. Furthermore, 42.5% of respondents wanted firearms not to be issued routinely to all officers, but for more officers to receive training and issued firearms as needed.[32]
Legal status
The use of firearms by the police in England and Wales is covered by statute (such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Human Rights Act 1998), policy (such as the Home Office Code of Practice on Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons and the ACPO Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms) and common law.
AFOs may only carry firearms when authorised by an "appropriate authorising officer".
United Kingdom law allows the use of "reasonable force" to make an arrest or prevent a crime
ACPO policy states that "use" of a firearm includes both pointing it at a person and discharging it (whether
Firearms used
Different police forces use a variety of firearms. Although for forces in England and Wales, guidance is provided from
In Northern Ireland, the PSNI issues all of its police officers with the Glock 17 pistol, and allows its officers to carry their issue sidearm off-duty.
Notable incidents
According to an October 2005 article in The Independent, in the preceding 12 years, 30 people had been shot dead by police.[45] Many police shootings in the UK were carried out by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) during the Troubles in Northern Ireland (1960s–1990s). During the conflict, RUC officers killed 56 people in shooting incidents, including at least 30 civilians and at least 20 members of paramilitary groups.[6]
"Shoot to kill policy"
The national media has criticised the policies of police forces which they have deemed "shoot to kill." Police firearms training teaches the use and discharge of firearms to "remove the threat" rather than to kill. Following the
Based in part on advice from the security forces of Israel and Sri Lanka—two countries with experience of suicide bombings—Operation Kratos guidelines allegedly state that the head or lower limbs should be aimed at when a suspected suicide bomber appears to have no intention of surrendering. This is contrary to the usual practice of aiming at the torso, which presents the biggest target, as a hit to the torso may detonate an explosive belt.
Polling
A 2004 poll found that 47% of people supported all police officers being armed, with 48% opposed.[46]
A 2017 poll found that 72% of people supported all police officers being armed, with 20% opposed.[47]
See also
- Anti-terrorist policies of the Metropolitan police
- Police firearm use by country
- Shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland
References
- ^ "S.5 Firearms Act 1968". Statutelaw.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ a b "Written Ministerial Statements M26 Taser The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department Caroline Flint". www.parliament.uk. 15 September 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "A History of Policing in Ireland". Police Service of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- S2CID 164402308.
- ^ McKittrick, David (12 August 1993). "Female RUC officers to be armed: David McKittrick reports on moves to extend equality of opportunity to the carrying of weapons". The Independent. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ a b Sutton Index of Deaths, Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) – choose "Organisation" as 1st variable and "Status summary" as 2nd variable
- ^ ISBN 9780415714334.
- ISBN 9781317964186– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9783638753418.
- ISBN 978-9290451471.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7509-4637-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7509-4637-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7509-4637-7.
- ISBN 978-0-7509-4637-7.
- ^ "ACPO Manual of Guidance on the Management, Command and Deployment of Armed Officers" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ a b c "Home Office Statistical Bulletin" (PDF). 25 January 2007: 43. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2010.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ "Guns for bobbies on the beat". BBC News. 23 October 2000.
- ^ "'Arm beat officers' says police chief". BBC News. 13 March 2002.
- ^ "Community saddened and fearful". 11 October 2004 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Tasers - Written Ministerial Statements Jacqui Smith". www.parliament.uk. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "Armed policing - Conducted energy devices (Taser)". College of Policing. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ "Ealing police knife attacks suspect questioned". BBC. 16 December 2010.
- ^ "Police Federation". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ^ "Statistics on police use of firearms in England and Wales 2011-2012". Home Office. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ^ "Assistant Chief Constable outlines armed policing policy". Police Scotland (Press release). 19 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ISBN 9781910165102. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Adams, Lucy (29 January 2015). "Survey suggests backing for routinely armed police". BBC. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ "Inquiry into the public impact of Police Scotland's Firearms Standing Authority - Scrutiny Inquiry Report". Scottish Police Authority. January 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2014 c. 12
- ^ "Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 - 2014 c. 12 Explanatory Notes Background Part 8 Firearms licensing – British Transport Police". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ Hamilton, Fiona (7 February 2015). "Thousands of police take guns to routine jobs". The Times. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "Firearms: What is the Federation's position on the routine arming of police officers?".
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.2.1 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.6.6 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.8 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.8.5 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Section 117 or Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, Article 88
- ^ Criminal Law Act 1967, Section 3 or Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967, Section 3
- ^ Common Law, as cited in ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 2.3.4 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 2.3.7 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 5.6.1 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms 3.2.4 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms Chapter 3.3.1 Archived 13 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Police Arms and Weaponry".
All the forces in the UK and Wales are also issued with the 'Firearms Guidance to Police' manual, a lengthy document detailing the legal regulation of firearms in the UK and covers the vast range of domestic legislation and international guidance on firearms use. Codes of practice are also issued by the Home Office providing comprehensive guidance on the policy and use of firearms and less lethal weapons by police.
- ^ Robert Verkaik; Jason Bennetto (21 October 2005). "Shot dead by police 30. Officers convicted 0". The Independent. London.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]