Correlation, or lack of it

[Tom B]

I hear the tabloids are whining that all police officers should be armed because of what happened on Friday. Excuse me if I'm wrong but as I understand it these people were shot without warning and would have had no chance to draw weapons, even if the police bowed to the media's whining?

 

[Dave A]

I think its the other way round. For many years there have been calls for the Police to be armed, by the police. The media, as usual, just stretch the truth and make a meal out of nothing.

Yes you are probably right that they would not have a chance to draw the weapons, however, I think they would of gone in armed as they would have limits on when they can and can't pull out a gun, e.g. armed robbers, can, and shoplifters, can't, etc.

The problem is that people don't respect and fear the police any more. Children as young as 8 will insult them because they have wrongly learnt that they are "bad". But will a gun make a difference?

IMO, yes & no. Yes because it will make the officers feel more safer, therefore making them feel more confident when going about there day to day business. However, some of them will be too cocky and probably use the gun where it is not needed, which, as seen a few months back, will have consequences.

I don't think there is much they can do anymore. This country is turning into a "crime haven" where when the Police get smarter, so do the criminals!!

 

[Mojo]

Not all of the police want to be armed.

For one, I feel very proud to be a citizen of one of the very few countries in the world that does not have fully armed police. Guns attract more guns, and do not totally work.

Armed police staff are fully trained, have limited powers and are very limited in what they can do. The police are, and have always been approachable, and seeing them without any weapons makes them that way, in the same way that Community Support Officers have been of late.

 

[Tom B]

Think of America. They have a much higher rate of gun crime than us. And they swear by the gun. Their approach is very much "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth".