Most UK police officers are unarmed, relying on a philosophy of policing by consent where authority flows from public support rather than the threat of lethal force. Proponents of arming the police argue that rising knife crime, terrorist threats, and delayed response times from specialized Armed Response Vehicles leave frontline officers dangerously vulnerable. Opponents fear that routinely arming officers would fundamentally fracture community trust, increase the likelihood of fatal police shootings, and spark an arms race with criminals.
Response rates from 881 UK voters.
Trend of support over time for each answer from 881 UK voters.
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Trend of how important this issue is for 881 UK voters.
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Unique answers from UK voters whose views went beyond the provided options.
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Based on 881 responses to this question.
These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).
iSideWith is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.
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