Most British police officers (except in Northern Ireland) are not routinely armed. Instead, they rely on specially trained Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO) to attend incidents where firearms are necessary. Specialist Firearms Officers are usually trained to a higher standard than AFOs, because they are likely to be required to enter besieged premises. The vast majority of firearms used by British police are semi-automatic. The most common firearms employed by British armed units are the Glock 17 9mm pistol, the Heckler and Koch (H&K) MP5SF 9mm (single fire) carbine and the H&K G36C (single fire) 5.56mm carbine. Walther P99 - carried by Nottinghamshire Police AFOs.
42% Yes |
58% No |
24% Yes |
50% No |
11% Yes, but only in response to extreme situations |
8% No, extreme situations should be handled by higher agencies with specialized training and equipment |
7% Yes, but with strict training on how and when to use the equipment |
1% No, and abolish the police |
See how support for each position on “Demilitarize the Police” has changed over time for 289k UK voters.
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See how importance of “Demilitarize the Police” has changed over time for 289k UK voters.
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Unique answers from UK users whose views extended beyond the provided choices.
@8SL5S2J3yrs3Y
Only in extreme circumstances where people are in need of being protected. I would argue that a lot of military grade equipment and police brutality is abused in this country, and targets a lot of people who often are completely peaceful. It’s abused.
@8PMY8CM3yrs3Y
No, policing in the UK is based on the principal of ''policing by consent'' and is highly respected around the world for this as well as being an unarmed police force.
@9LVZWY45 days5D
Yes, but they have specialised training for it and have the option of bringing in higher agencies with more training for extreme circumstances as well
@9LTGVNS6 days6D
Yes, but only in response to extreme situations But they should not carry military grade equipment with them
@9KZJBCN1mo1MO
Police should be allowed to use military grade equipment only with strict, complete training. They should know when to use the equipment, and how to handle it. It should only be allowed in extreme situations.
@9KG4RJ42mos2MO
No and defund the police to allow for other agencies to support society in a more beneficial way. I.e. through education, mental health, welfare, housing, social services etc
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