Page 9 - Top Cover Issue 15

MAY 2019 TOP COVER 9

type of attack we are experiencing
in the UK.
Currently, we go from ‘zero to hero’,
from an officer with baton, spray and
maybe a Taser to an ARV, essentially
a SWAT team capable of storming
buildings with stun grenades. We
simply do not need thousands more
officers trained in all of these tactics,
but we do need more officers able to
stop a low-sophistication attack. This
would create a new layer of armed
policing. Local police acting only in an Picture copyright: HiStock Photo / Shutterstock
emergency with ARVs and their wide
range of tactics arriving in support to
deal with long-term containment and
searches. The local police would only
need basic tactics – emergency search,
containment, dealing with suspects on Local police carrying sidearms and acting only in an emergency would be able to
foot and in vehicles and critical shot. counter the vast majority of current threats
Often raised as a concern is our
Others have argued that we survived be assured that if they use their weapon
capability to recruit and train armed
the IRA threat without arming correctly, they will have the backing of
officers, as many fail. In my area 10%
officers, seemingly forgetting that the not just the police, but also the IOPC,
fail on advanced driving, but for local
IRA terrorists aimed to escape and the media, courts and the Government.
police this would not be an issue. A
fight another day, whereas the current Second, money. To arm all willing
third fail the advanced search tactics
breed of terrorist continues to kill and suitable officers with a sidearm
(D4), but with fewer tactics taught to
until someone steps up and neutralises would cost millions of pounds. The
local police, less would fail. This new
them. Tactically, little comparison can expense is not so much the one-off
breed of officer must not be trained to
be drawn with the IRA. purchase of weapons but the additional
a lower standard, simply with fewer
Ultimately, this debate can be instructors required – teaching
tactics and with fewer weapons.
resolved simply by how long the someone how to shoot (and regularly
public are willing to wait for an armed requalifying them) is labour intensive.
Will, money and time
response (it would be interesting to Cash-strapped forces should not be
There are three blockers to achieving
actually ask them!), and what response expected to pick up these costs. The
this goal: the will to change, money time the chiefs and the Government training infrastructure is simply too
and time. Despite the PFEW poll
are willing to tolerate. I fear if we had small – if you are going to train more
revealing that just six per cent of
an attack now in a small city or market people to shoot guns you need more
officers think there are sufficient armed town, the subsequent public enquiry ranges. This is all going to require
officers, the information coming out would show far too little had been significant investment of new money.
of the Chiefs’ Council appears to done to deal with this foreseeable risk. Finally, time. It would take at least
show that chief officers are against Potentially, this is the next big scandal five years to achieve this. That’s a long
arming more officers on the ground. in policing. time, and we need to get this debate
MPS Commissioner Cressida Dick The will of officers to carry weapons into the open so that whatever we
seemed to dismiss the idea on Radio also remains an issue and officers must decide, we can start it soon.
(6)
4 , preferring mobile specialist units,
saying that “people don’t want to see (1) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/726401/hosb1118-police-workforce.pdf
officers armed to the teeth on every
(2) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/26/armed-police-operations-rise-19-in-
street corner” – which is certainly england-and-wales
not what is being suggested. Maybe (3) http://www.polfed.org/documents/PFEW%20Routine%20Arming%20Survey%20
2017%20Headline%20Report%20-%20Sep%202017.pdf
this would work well in a major
(4) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/07/rural-police-forces-consider-giving-
city but we simply cannot afford guns-to-regular-officers
a standing army of ARVs in rural (5) http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/give-more-armed-police-terror-10560552
(6) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08sks0t time code: 2.19.17
areas, or on trains.
WWW.PFOA.CO.UK