[Scarlett.]

What are your opions on the UK's armed police forces? (S019, and the various UK specialist operations teams)

[30stone]

When it is needed im happy they do.

Specialist forces shouldnt just have some little bat.

They are called in when there is things like gun crimes so they should have a weapon.

[andyman]

They do a good job... But there is always a bad egg.

[Scarlett.]

Aye, IMO they should be used more...not like to shoot people, but as a deterrent, to warn criminals off

[Z]

Originally posted by Chewy
Aye, IMO they should be used more...not like to shoot people, but as a deterrent, to warn criminals off

I think so too - I've never seen any armed police in my life before, and I live in a moderately large city. It almost seems to me like an exclusive to London, they seem so unreal and non-existent to me!

[Sod_James]

I think its good we have them

Although the other day when i was walking through London city airport and this security bloke walks past me with this massive gun on show made me feel slightly uneasy he was eyeing me up.

[Z]

Originally posted by Sod_James
I think its good we have them

Although the other day when i was walking through London city airport and this security bloke walks past me with this massive gun on show made me feel slightly uneasy he was eyeing me up.

Still, that shows that there's a good reason to have them. If they were eyeing up innocent people (unless you were doing something illegal ) and making them feel uneasy, imagine how somebody who was doing something wrong would feel?

[Sod_James]

Originally posted by Zee

Still, that shows that there's a good reason to have them. If they were eyeing up innocent people (unless you were doing something illegal ) and making them feel uneasy, imagine how somebody who was doing something wrong would feel?

lol o yeah im glad we have them. It just makes me feel weird or that im doing somthing wrong when they eye me up lol.

a few weeks ago a policeman walked up to me and tapped me on the shoulder and said 'excuse me sir' and i was like 'omg what have i done, i didnt do it i swear' lol i must have sounded really guilty.

but he just said 'No i just wanted to ask you a few questions about your neighbourhood watch scheme'

andi was like LMAO 'o' i went dead red lol

[Ninastar]

Originally posted by Chewy
Aye, IMO they should be used more...not like to shoot people, but as a deterrent, to warn criminals off

[hannah.]

Originally posted by 30stone
When it is needed Im happy they do.

Specialist forces shouldnt just have some little bat.

They are called in when there is things like gun crimes so they should have a weapon.

exactly, people in the streets are rude enough to police anyway because the police have to be all careful and not punch them and stuff these days, and people know that, which is bad enough

imagine police trying to raid somewhere where there's obviously gonna be weapons with bloody batons
they'd all get shot

I love the police

[Scarlett.]

I once saw a cop with a machine gun in Manchester airport, thats the only armed cop I have ever seen, although Lancashire police force keep their guns in safes at the back of their cars, and the cars they do keep em in are Ford Galaxy's (I did a lil' research )

[Tom]

Sounds like somethign off a TV show. Not a lot of crime around here but one time a couple of summers ago there was an armed robbery and they came through where I live and ran into someones house and locked themselves in. Needless to say that house for surrounded.

Only time I've ever seen them

[Sticks]

I believe these machine guns as you put it are rigged to do single shot.

SO19 is a vital part of our policing and every time a round is fired it is automatically investigated by the PCIS as part of the system of checks and balances.

[Gill73]

a vital part of life today, give the police guns let the criminals know what could and will happen to them if there out brandishing guns and knifes!

[Tom4784]

I don't mind like specialist armed police but I'd be against all police using guns we tried that after 7/7 and look what happened.

[30stone]

Yeah these used when called to a crime when guns are involved is a good thing because its less dangerous for police, they do intimidate people more but if all police carried guns more people commiting crimes would get hold of them which would make it more dangerous if they are robbing somewhere.. at the moment there are a few but most of them just have knives.

[John.]

They would be pretty useless polic officers without arms!!! how do they arrest someone!??

[bananarama]

Originally posted by JohnD
They would be pretty useless polic officers without arms!!! how do they arrest someone!??

They would have to call in the "Armed" brigade.......By the way what are polic officers!!!!!!!

[acidburn08]

Well im glad to have them, but when they forget to turn the safety on...

[pinkmichk]

i think they are a good idea and maybe a more visible presence is needed in places
i have only seen them once and that was back in the 90s even before 9/11 happened and was in london at liverpool street when it got evacuated for a bomb scare