Surprisingly, this is a fact: in England, only 5% of the police have weapons. It is only natural that a law enforcement officer always has a gun at hand, located in a holster on his belt. But England breaks the usual stereotypes - here the police do not rely on weapons.
No more than 5% of the general state police can use weapons. First of all, employees working at airports, as well as guarding the embassy, police from the rapid and armed response groups. This is an officer’s staff who has undergone basic or full training in working with firearms, and in addition, all these people have written in writing why they need weapons in their work. That is the formality. However, the other police officers who do not have weapons.
Are they not afraid to work without a gun, are not afraid for their lives? How do they manage to cope with their responsibilities in general? To understand all the nuances, it is worth delving into the history of the creation of the British police.
The story of the creation of the English police
In 1829, the famous politician Robert Peel founded the municipal police instead of the private police, which was the prototype of the modern British police. To distinguish police from military, Peel canceled the carrying of firearms.
This was explained by the fact that weapons scared people. In addition, the previous private human rights organization cared more about making a profit than about maintaining order on the streets.
The new police was to inspire confidence in citizens and become a guarantor of protection.So, on September 29, 1829, the streets of London began to patrol. police officers in blue uniformwhich from afar differed from the military in red uniforms. They were armed only with a baton and a rattle to give a signal of help. They did not need more for work.
English cops and weapons later on
However, times are changing, and what does the situation look like today? Rattleers are no longer being issued to policemen, but no weapons have appeared in their arsenal. At the moment, both men and women can serve in the British police, but they do not rely on regular service weapons in any case, as before.
For such a large country with a large population, such a situation may seem surprising, even comical. Indeed, in most European countries, as well as in Australia, the United States, the presence of a pistol at a policeman when executed is a completely normal norm.
Interesting fact: in addition to the British, police officers from Norway, Ireland, as well as their New Zealand colleagues work without weapons. Their weapons remain in the car, they are not supposed to be carried with them.
Tourists are very surprised at such a pacifist-looking police, but the British themselves consider this situation to be the norm, and until recently they did not at all think about the need to change anything. In the past, the situation on the streets was mostly calm, difficult situations were rarely given to the police, and the very fact that the police were the authorities stopped everyone who wanted to harm them. A holster as part of a policeman’s ammunition remained relevant only in Northern Ireland (everyone understands why).
Current state of affairs
In recent years, the criminal situation in the UK has undergone major changes. The factors that led them, you can imagine a lot. All this made me seriously think about the need to provide the police with service weapons, at least as a measure of self-defense. This initiative is put forward by many experts, and therefore, changes are likely in the future. Perhaps in the coming years, the British police will come out with pistols, like their colleagues from most other countries.
Debate around weapons and complexity of introduction
However, other specialists continue to defend the possibility of working without weapons as a familiar, accustomed style for most professional police officers. The main argument in favor of working without weapons is the fact that having a gun at a policeman does not mean at all that a weapon will save his life or make his work more efficient.
As for the common population, here opinions are divided into two opposite camps approximately equally. Armed policemen on the streets would not have pleased anyone, but other people would have considered handing out their pistols the right move. And if we talk about the facts, it must be emphasized that there are very few gun offenses in Britain, and therefore, probably, the police do not need it too.
British law enforcement agencies do not use weapons for almost 200 years, it has become a tradition. It is believed that the arming of the police will upset the balance and increase interest in small arms, which will entail the growth of offenses with its use. Given that, according to the British worldview, police serve the people, not the state, you can understand why the reform is not carried out by a single movement, and the issue of introducing weapons has been discussed for 10 years, no less.
Moreover, there are a number of practical problems that impede innovation. The police will have to retrain. Law enforcers in England undergo rigorous training, and if you introduce weapons, it will become even more difficult, and an additional budget will be required. And at the moment he is already trimming. So, technically and financially, such a transition is still unrealistic.
Thus, the British police do not carry weapons, since they actually do not need them in work. The current situation is becoming more complicated, the issue of transferring the right to service weapons to the police is being considered, but in practice everything remains unchanged. It is possible that in the coming years, all law enforcement officers will appear weapons without exception, however, it is worth remembering that Britain hardly abandons the established traditions.
