The United Kingdom is made up of four
constituent countries:
England,
Scotland,
Wales (which make up
Great Britain), and
Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, all police officers carry
firearms. In the rest of the United Kingdom, the majority of police officers do not carry firearms; that duty is instead carried out by specially-trained firearms officers. This originates from the formation of the
Metropolitan Police Service in the 19th century, when police were not armed, partly to counter public fears and objections over armed enforcers as this had been previously seen due to the
British Army maintaining order when needed. The arming of police in Great Britain is a perennial topic of debate.
However, 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 most of the
Specialist Operations units of the Metropolitan Police are all issued firearms as a matter of routine. Every force also has a Force
firearms unit, with
armed response vehicles.
In relation to specialist firearms officers, in the year 2011–12, there were 6,756
Authorised Firearms Officers, 12,550 police operations in which firearms were authorised throughout
England and Wales and five incidents where conventional firearms were used.
[1]
The vast majority of officers are instead issued with other items for personal defence, such as
speedcuffs,
extendable "ASP" batons, and incapacitant sprays such as
PAVAor
CS 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 the
Firearms Act 1968.
[2]
Since 2004, police forces have issued
Tasers to Authorised Firearms Officers for use against armed assailants which are considered by the authorities to be a non-lethal alternative to firearms.
[3]
