In theUnited Kingdom, policefirearm policy varies byconstituent countries. InNorthern Ireland, all police officers carry firearms whereas in the rest of the United Kingdom, firearms are carried only by specially-trained firearms officers.
ThePolice Service of Northern Ireland (formerly theRoyal Ulster Constabulary),Northern Ireland Security Guard Service,Ministry of Defence Police,Civil Nuclear Constabulary,Belfast Harbour Police,Belfast International Airport Constabulary, and some of theSpecialist 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 afirearms unit, witharmed response vehicles.
The vast majority of officers are instead issued with other items for personal defence, such asspeedcuffs,extendable "ASP" batons, and incapacitant sprays such asPAVA pepper spray orCS spray. While not firearms, incapacitant sprays are subject to some of the same rules and regulations as a projectile firing firearm under Section 5 (b) of theFirearms Act 1968.[1]
Since 2004, police forces have issuedTasers to Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO's) and Specially Trained Officers (STO's) for use against armed assailants which are considered by the authorities to be a less-lethal alternative to conventional firearms.[2]
The history of officers not being armed originates from the formation of theMetropolitan Police Service in the 19th century and is partly due to public fears and objections of armed enforcers. It had been seen as the responsibility of theBritish Army to maintain order when needed.
TheIrish Constabulary (later known as the Royal Irish Constabulary), the police force inIreland from 1822 until 1922, when the country was part of the United Kingdom, was aparamilitary force.[3] Its members were armed withcarbines andsword bayonets.[4]
Male members of Northern Ireland's police force, theRoyal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), were armed from the beginning due to the threat from theIrish Republican Army (IRA). The first female members were armed in 1993.[5] Firearms were used routinely by the RUC duringThe Troubles, and a number of people were killed by RUC firearms orplastic bullets during that time.[6] In 2001 the RUC became thePolice Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). It remained an armed police force, partly due to the continued threat from dissidentIrish republicanism. Today, thePSNI have wide-ranging anti-terrorism powers through various acts of parliament not available elsewhere in the UK.[7][8] Police officers at PSNI have access to a wide range of weapons, which include firearms,CS spray,water cannon,attenuating energy projectiles andtasers.[7][9]
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 offorensic 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.[vague] This is, however, not due to changes at PSNI but on account of the increasing adoption of its policing methods and practices in the rest of the UK.[which?][7]
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 ofpolicing by respect and consent.[11]
During theSecond World War, it was decided that police would provide armed guards at sites deemed a risk from enemy sabotage, such as10 Downing Street and theRoyal Family and to assist theBritish Armed Forces in the event of an invasion.Metropolitan Police officers were given access to an arsenal of weapons only to be used in case of invasion but were never taken on general patrol.[12] To fire theWebley & Scottrevolver, officers were expected to pass an exam consisting of firing six shots at a target with three shots needed to hit the target to pass.
On 1 June 1940, 3,500Ross Rifles, which had last seen service in 1916, and 72,384 rounds of.303 ammunition were distributed amongpolice divisions.
After the Second World War, concerns were aired by theHome Office about the readiness of police forces in case of another war. It was decided that theMinistry of Defence would issueSten guns,Lee–Enfield No4 Mk IIs,revolvers andammunition to police divisions around the country.[13] These were stored in secret depots around the United Kingdom, giving every force quicker access to the weapons.[14]
Historically, officers on night patrols in some London divisions were frequently armed withWebleyrevolvers. These were introduced following the murder of two officers in 1884, although individual officers were able to choose whether to carry the weapons. Armed police were rare by the turn of the century, and were retired formally in July 1936. However, after theBattle of Stepney in 1911, Webleysemi-automatics were issued to officers. From 1936, firearms could only be issued by asergeant with good reason, and only then to officers who had been trained in their use.
The issue of routine arming in Great Britain was raised after the 1952Derek Bentley case, in which aconstable was shot dead and a sergeant severely wounded, and again after the 1966Massacre of Braybrook Street, in which three London officers were killed. As a result, around 17% of officers in London became authorised to carry firearms. After the deaths of a number of members of the public in the 1980s fired upon by police,[citation needed] control was considerably tightened, many officers had their firearm authorisation revoked, and training for the remainder was greatly improved. As of 2005, around 7% of officers in London are trained in the use of firearms. Firearms are also only issued to an officer under strict guidelines.[15]
To allow armed officers to respond rapidly to an incident, most forces have patrollingarmed response vehicles (ARVs). ARVs were modelled on the "Instant Response Cars" introduced by theWest Yorkshire Police in 1976, and were first introduced in London in 1991, with 132 armed deployments being made that year.
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 inNottingham, 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, theParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for theHome Office approved the use oftasers throughout England and Wales byAuthorised Firearms Officers following a trial.[2] In November 2008, theHome Secretary approved the use of tasers throughout England and Wales for all officers, lifting the Authorised Firearms Officer restriction, with officers who receive training and carry a taser known as 'specially trained units' (STU's).[20][21]
In 2010, following the serious injury of an unarmed officer in a knife attack, the chairman of thePolice 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 6,756Authorised Firearms Officers, 12,550 police operations in which firearms were authorised throughoutEngland and Wales and five incidents where conventional firearms were used.[24]
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 theScottish 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, theFirearms Act 1968 was amended to recognise theBritish 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 theTimes, half gave only partial information or rejected requests outright.[31]
Surveys by thePolice 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]
The use of firearms by the police in England and Wales is covered by statute (such as thePolice and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and theHuman Rights Act 1998), policy (such as theHome OfficeCode of Practice on Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons and theACPOManual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms) andcommon law.
AFOs may only carry firearms when authorised by an "appropriate authorising officer".[33] The appropriate authorising officer must be of the rank ofInspector or higher.[34] When working at airports, nuclear sites, on Protection Duties and deployed inArmed Response Vehicles in certain areas, 'Standing Authority' is granted to carry personalsidearms.[35] All members of thePolice Service of Northern Ireland have authority to carry a personal issue handgun as a matter of routine, both on duty and off.[36] In all forces, use of other weapons such assemi-automatic carbines requires further training and authorisation. Semi-automatic carbines are stored in a locked armoury inside Armed Response Vehicles. Equipping of semi-automatic carbines rests on a judgment of the AFO[clarification needed].[11]
United Kingdom law allows the use of "reasonable force" to make an arrest or prevent a crime[37][38] or to defend oneself.[39] If the force used is fatal, then theEuropean Convention of Human Rights only allows "the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary".[40] Firearms officers may therefore only discharge their weapons "to stop an imminent threat to life".[41]
ACPO policy states that "use" of a firearm includes both pointing it at a person and discharging it (whetheraccidentally ornegligently, or intentionally).[42]As with all use of force in England and Wales, the onus is on the individual officer to justify their actions in court.[43]
Different police forces use a variety of firearms. Although for forces in England and Wales, guidance is provided fromACPO and theHome Office[44] decisions on what weapons will be employed by an individual force largely rest with the Chief Constable.
In Northern Ireland, thePSNI issues all of its police officers with theGlock 17 pistol, and allows its officers to carry their issue sidearm off-duty.
According to an October 2005 article inThe 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 theRoyal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) duringthe Troubles inNorthern 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]
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 the11 September 2001 attacks new guidelines were developed for identifying, confronting, and dealing forcefully with terrorist suspects. These guidelines were given thecode name "Operation Kratos".
Based in part on advice from the security forces ofIsrael andSri 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 thetorso, which presents the biggest target, as a hit to the torso may detonate an explosive belt.
Sir Ian Blair appeared on television 24 July 2005 to accept responsibility for the error on the part of the Metropolitan Police in shootingJean Charles de Menezes, mistakenly identified as a suicide bomber three days prior, and to acknowledge and defend the policy, saying that "There is no point in shooting at someone's chest because that is where the bomb is likely to be. There is no point in shooting anywhere else if they fall down and detonate it."
A 2004 poll found that 47% of people supported all police officers being armed, with 48% opposed.[46]
A 2017Sky News poll carried out two days after the2017 London Bridge attack and two weeks after theManchester Arena bombing found that 72% of people supported all police officers being armed, with 20% opposed.[47]
A 2019 YouGov poll that found 31% of people thought that police officers should routinely carry guns, with 55% opposed.[48]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)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.