Police use of firearms in the United Kingdom

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Authorised Firearms Officers wearing body armour, both armed with Heckler & Koch MP5 Carbines and Glock 17 Pistols

In the United Kingdom, the majority of police officers do not carry firearms, except in special circumstances. This originates from the formation of the Metropolitan Police in the 19th Century, when police were not armed, partly to counter public fears and objections concerning armed enforcers. The arming of police in the United Kingdom is a perennial topic of debate.

Most officers are instead issued with other weapons for personal defence, such as batons, pepper spray and CS spray. While not a "normal" firearm, CS spray is subject to the same rules and regulations as firearms under Section 5 (b) of the Firearms Act 1968.^[1].

The Ministry of Defence Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary and Police Service of Northern Ireland (formerly the Royal Ulster Constabulary) are issued firearms as a matter of routine. Every force can also call upon the Forces Firearms units Armed Response Vehicle in a matter of minutes, and certain specialist squads, such as the Flying Squad, Special Branch, Diplomatic Protection Group, Royalty Protection Branch, and officers protecting airports and government buildings, are routinely armed.

1 History
- 1.1 Arming the police
- 1.2 Fatal shootings of police officers
2 Current equipment
- 2.1 Standard Firearms
- 2.2 Specialist Firearms
3 Controversial shootings
4 "Shoot to kill" policy
5 See also
6 References

[edit] History

[edit] Arming the police

Historically, officers on night patrols in some London divisions were frequently armed with Webley revolvers. These were introduced following the murder of two officers in 1884, although individual officers were able to choose whether to carry the weapons. After the Battle of Stepney in 1911, Webley semi-automatics were issued to officers, although armed police were rare by the turn of the century, and were retired formally in July 1936. From that point on, firearms could only be issued by a Sergeant with good reason, and only to officers who had been trained in their use.

The issue of routine arming was raised after the 1952 Derek Bentley case where a Constable was shot dead and a Sergeant severely wounded, and again after the 1966 Massacre 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, control was considerably tightened, many officers had their firearm authorisation revoked, and training for the remainder was greatly improved, later being extended to include training from the SAS.^{[citation needed]} As of 2005, around seven per cent of officers in London are trained in the use of firearms. Firearms are also only issued to an officer under strict guidelines.^[2]

In order to allow armed officers to respond rapidly to an incident, most forces have patrolling Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs). ARVs were modelled on the Instant Response Cars introduced by the West 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^[3], the overall increase in firearms crime between 1998/99 and 2002/03^[3] (it has been decreasing since 2003/04, although use of imitations continued to rise)^[3] has kept this issue in the spotlight. In October 2000, Nottinghamshire Police introduced regular armed patrols to the St Ann's and Meadows estates in Nottingham, in response to fourteen drug-related shootings in the two areas in the previous year.^[4] Although the measure was not intended to be permanent, patrols were stepped up in the autumn of 2001 after further shootings.^[5] Despite this, Police Federation surveys have continued to show overwhelming police officer resistance to routine arming. In the Federation's most recent (2006) Officer/Arming survey, 82% of respondents were against the routine arming of police.^[6]

As of September 2004, all forces in England and Wales have access to tasers, but they may only be used by Authorised Firearms Officers. The Police Federation have since called for all officers to be issued with tasers, with some public support.^[7]

[edit] Fatal shootings of police officers

Outside of Northern Ireland, fatal shootings of police officers are rare, totalling 67 between 1900 and 2006.^[8] Since 1990 six officers have died from gunshot wounds, including Ian Broadhurst in December 2003 (the first fatal shooting for eight years)^[9], and Sharon Beshenivsky in November 2005.^[10] Deaths have been much higher in Northern Ireland, with over two hundred firearms fatalities, the vast majority linked to The Troubles.^[11]

[edit] Current equipment

Different police forces use a variety of firearms. Authough, for forces in England and Wales, guidance is provided from ACPO and the Home Office^[12] decisions on what weapons will be employed by an individual force largely rest with the Chief Constable. Known examples in use include:

Standard weapons will vary slightly from force to force.

[edit] Standard Firearms

(Authorised Firearms Officer, issued to Armed Response Vehicle)

German Heckler & Koch MP5 (semi-automatic carbine, designated MP5SF) [1]
German Heckler & Koch G3 (assault rifle, used as sniper)
German Heckler & Koch G36 (semi-automatic carbine version of the assault rifle)[2]
Austrian Glock 17 (pistol)[3]
Swiss/American Sig Sauer P226 (pistol)[4]
German Heckler & Koch baton gun - less lethal option (fires a non lethal Baton round)[5]
American Taser International X26 (stun gun)[6]

[edit] Specialist Firearms

(Specialist Firearms Officer, Specialist firearms available in siege situations)

American Remington 870 (shotgun) mainly used for door breaching, never for shooting target, due to over penetration [7]
German Heckler & Koch HK33SG1 (sniper rifle)[8]
German Heckler & Koch MSG90A1 (sniper rifle)[9]
American Riflecraft TMR1 (sniper rifle)[10]
Austrian Steyer 7.62mm (sniper rifle)[11]
German Heckler & Koch MP5K (semi-automatic carbine)[12]
German Heckler & Koch 93 (sniper rifle)[13]
German Heckler & Koch MP5SD1 (semi-automatic carbine, silenced version of the conventional MP5)[14]
British L1A1 CS Gas Launcher (launches projectiles of irritant gas; "CS" or "PAVA") [15]

[edit] Controversial shootings

The policy under which British police use firearms has resulted in controversy. The following are examples of incidents of innocent or unarmed people being shot by the British police.

In June 1980, hostage Gail Kinchin and her unborn baby were killed in crossfire between West Midlands officers and her deranged boyfriend. Later, he stood trial for her murder but, after an 18-day hearing, was found not guilty. No officer was prosecuted^{[citation needed]}.

On 17 January 1983 Stephen Waldorf was shot by police hunting David Martin, who absconded from custody at Marlborough Street magistrates' court where he was due to face a charge of attempting to murder a police officer. Waldorf was critically injured in a police ambush in a west London street after he was mistaken for Martin. He was shot five times, and then pistol whipped by an officer who had attempted to shoot him in the head, but had already used all his ammunition. Two officers, John Jardine and Peter Finch, stood trial for attempted murder and attempted wounding but were cleared of all charges in October 1983. Waldorf made a full recovery and eventually received compensation.^[13]

On 24 August 1985 John Shorthouse aged 5 was shot dead in a police raid on his home in Birmingham. The incident produced hostility towards the police over two days after John's death when a policewoman was dragged from her patrol car and beaten by youths. PC Brian Chester, stood trial for manslaughter but was acquitted. Following the Shorthouse case, West Midlands police abandoned its practice of training rank-and-file officers for firearms duties and formed a specialist squad.^[14]

On 15 January 1987 Cherry Groce a mother-of-six was shot and paralysed by officers looking for her son. The shooting sparked riots in Brixton which led to the death of a photographer, hit on the head by a brick. The officer was cleared of all criminal charges.^[15]

In 1998 James Ashley, was shot and killed by Sussex Police while naked and unarmed during a drugs raid at his flat.^[16]

On June 1999 Derek Bateman, 47, of Surrey was shot by a single bullet through the heart after his girlfriend went to a neighbour's house and telephone the police, telling them he was armed and had threatening to shoot her. It was then determined that the weapon he had brandished at the police was an air pistol. No officer was prosecuted.^[17]

On 22 September 1999 Harry Stanley, a painter and decorator, born in Bellshill near Glasgow, was walking home when he shot dead by two Metropolitan Police officers following an erroneous report that he was carrying a sawn-off shotgun in a plastic bag. The officers challenged Mr Stanley from behind as he turned to face them, they shot him dead at a distance of 5 metres. It later emerged that the plastic bag actually contained a broken table leg that Stanley's brother had just fixed for him. Following numerous enquiries (in November 2004 a jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing) both officers were exonerated after 6 years of court cases and inquiries. It was found that neither officer was liable for criminal charges nor would face any disciplinary sanctions. However, the report did make notable recommendations to the police on the post-incident procedure to be followed after a shooting and about challenging members of the public from behind.^[18]

In July 2005, West Yorkshire police tasered a man in hypoglycemic shock, believing that he was a potential security threat.^[19]

On 22 July 2005, Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian national living in London, was shot dead by unnamed Metropolitan Police officers on board an Underground train at Stockwell tube station, in the belief he was a suicide bomber. Initially, police claimed incorrectly that he was wearing bulky clothing and that he had vaulted the ticket barriers running from police. It soon became clear that de Menezes did not vault and run from the police, but police did not correct their statement until the correct information was leaked to the press. They later issued an apology, saying that they had mistaken him for a suspect in the previous day's failed bombings and acknowledging that de Menezes in fact had no explosives and was unconnected with the attempted bombings. Following an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Crown Prosecution Service announced on 17 July 2006, that no charges would be brought against any individual officers in relation to the death of Jean Charles. Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police will, however, face charges under Health and Safety legislation in his professional - rather than personal - capacity. The family of Jean Charles has called on the government to open a public inquiry into the shooting.^[20]

On 2 June 2006, two family homes were raided in an operation involving 250 police in east London. One man, Abdul Kahar, was shot in the shoulder by police during the raid, but was later released without charge. The raid was based on faulty intelligence. No officer has been prosecuted in connection with the shooting.

According to an October 2005 article in The Independent, in the preceding 12 years, 30 people had been shot dead by police, and no officers had been convicted in connection with any of them.^[21]

[edit] "Shoot to kill" policy

The national media has criticised the "shoot to kill" policy apparently adopted by police forces. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks new guidelines were developed for identifying, confronting, and dealing forcefully with terrorist suspects. These guidelines were given the code name "Operation Kratos".

Based in part on advice from the security forces of Israel and Sri 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 the torso, which presents the biggest target, as a successful hit to the torso may detonate an explosive belt.

Sir Ian Blair appeared on television on 24 July 2005 to accept responsibility for the error on the part of the Metropolitan Police, 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."