I’ve always been curious about this. Why don’t London police carry handguns? Tradition, perhaps? I was reminded of the phenomonen when I read a Yahoo story on the London bombings. And, are they still called bobbies?
Here’s a quote from the article: "Ordinary police officers in London do not usually carry guns, but some special units do, and armed police have become a more common sight on the streets in recent years. "
The coppers don’t carry guns cos British people don’t carry guns with them. The only people who carry guns are farmers or hunters or such-like, and they only carry them cos they’ll need them for their work.
There are some nutters out there tho, following in the footsteps of the americans, carrying guns for “protection” or cos they wanna be “Gangsters”, again like the americans.
I think most British folk don’t want the coppers to carry guns. I was having this conversation with Tyler one day on the phone, he seemed quite surprised that the cops don’t have guns.
American security guards have guns! That is crazy! Do they shoot shoplifters?!?
Keep guns out of britain. Or at least off the streets.
T.
I have yet to locate the “official link” for the whys of police not carrying guns in the UK, but I did come across the ages when certain acts are permitted and rights and responsibilities assumed in the UK.
Very interesting, DT. Thanks. I wondered if the British were trying to hold fast to traditions. Looks like they are. All the best to you if they can.
My typical American mindset says, “Have police? Have guns.” I wish we still lived in a world where Sheriff Andy could walk the streets of Mayberry untoted.
Bruce
I think the argument is that if we armed the police then the criminals without guns would get guns and everything would get more violent. Seems to be working so far.
Cathy
I was all excited, I thought it said Boobies and Handguns.
I was talking to Pete the other day about school shootings and how at nearly ALL High Schools(Ages 14-18) there are police officers that wear a bullet proof vest, carry a nightstick, mace, and a handgun with extra ammo. However nothing like that exists in other countries. I’m just glad our school cop is a nice guy.
The answer is simple they don’t carry guns because they don’t need to.
In both BE and NL the two lowest positions of uniformed police do not carry handguns.
Riots don’t carry guns either. Though in NL there is a riot-unit with machine-guns.
The equivalent of SWAT units can have almost any gun.
Though some aminution, like the bean-bag is still not allowed by department orders.
I remember a interresting case in Woerden. As the article is in Dutch and incorrect:
A dad keeps a mum in hostage, in the kitchen of the house. Young boy(6 or 7) in same kitchen, even younger girl(4 or 5) in living room. Dad aims gun on the mother. Has no notion of arrived SWAT. The police is allowed to kill this man in this position. But the SWAT wants to use the beanbag to prevent deadly victom(s) (and a lot of cleaning work, and paperwork). They took time to make a phone-call.
The higer chief is NOT allowed to give permission to use the beanbag. But tells them to use it. Result: it ended all pretty well.
Except for many debates in house of board, and still not being allowed to use this bean-bag bullets (and making a repeat of this excellent solution of this case imposible).
The kids still have both parents, and no big trauma, and still the same wallpaper.
Police in the UK have to pretty certain the person they want to shoot is actully about to harm someone , having only a small number of armed officers is meant to make it less likely that they shoot someone who posed no real threat to public safty at that point in time. It doen’t always work, there was a chap shot the other year (by the police) who turned out to be carrying a chair leg, not a shot gun. And yesterday a man was shot (possibly by police tho rumor has it it was army) as it was thought he was a suicide bomber. Havn’t seem all the news on that story yet tho, so I dont know what the grounds for shooting him were.
Sarah
According to the news outlets the London officers are now under a “shoot to kill” order for people they highly suspect are suicide bombers. There’s a mindset that if a potential bomber is still conscious they could still detonate the bomb.
This is why that guy was shot the other day.
only the riot police carry bean bag guns.
also, watch the bit in Bowling for columbine where it states the gun related incedents in all the different countries…
She’s not very good at shooting that gun. She flinches a little to much.
Or vise versa. Police have guns here because the most everyone else does. Its not because the police have guns so the criminals do. If a criminal has a gun the only way to to acually defend yourself from just plain out getting shot.
Dont take a billy club to a gun fight
And to answer your second question - “bobbies” is a term used nowadays to hark back to more innocent days, and is often used in the phrase “bobbies on the beat”, meaning cheerful, avuncular policemen who would “pound the beat” on foot, and might give a young rascall a “cuff round the ear and send him on his way”.
A modern equivalent is “the old bill” (has “The Bill” found its way onto US TV yet?). A less savoury nickname is “the filth”. I’m not sure if there are other versions used outside the South East though. As Dark Tom showed, “copper” is still used, as is “the cops”.
So, what are the US equivalents?
That movie for sure changed lot’s of opinions. And still every time I see guns being sold in a supermarkt, I nod my head.
A Dutch SWAT member recenly posted more interresting stats facts:
in NL (where weapons are illegal) more than 2,5 deadly victoms 100.000 inhabitants
(17.000.000 inhabitants, 500 victoms)
in the US (where weapons are morely legal) about 2.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.
(300,000,000 inhabitants, 7,000 victoms)
So were’s the wild west?
And which was the country that can not handle freedom?
In England the amount of deadly victoms has doubled after owning a gun became illegal.
In Australie the same.
Gee. I wonder if someone predicted that. Don’t shock me like that anymore, Leo.
‘Pigs’ is term used frequently to describe our trusty law enforcers, although I don’t know if this is a term used in other countries?
As for British pigs carrying guns, this is a situation which is fast beginning to change, as now there are plain clothesed pigs carrying guns on the tubes. Just be careful though if you are innocent and running to catch a train, as you just might well get your head blown off.
Only if you are acting suspicious with a capital “SUSP”…
Phil
Here’s two news stories about the shooting:
British admit mistake in shooting
Police shot wrong man - The Sunday Times
The Times article has a little more detail.
It’s not obvious why he jumped the turnstile and ran. Was he running because he thought he was being chased? Was the station so crowded that he was unaware he was being chased by so many plainclothes officers? Do the trains not run often enough that missing one train is not a big deal? It all doesn’t make a lot of sense in hindsight.
This might be the time that the kids and wannabe thugs should rethink their gangland rapper wannabe attire. Wearing baggy clothes and big puffy jackets might not be the smartest thing to be doing in London and also here in the US.