Re: Police Officier shot dead
Hi
Arming all Police Officers would have had no effect at all in this situation.
It was a secure area, where guns are not carried, with good reason.
They can be taken by detainees and then used to threaten officers to break out.
Armed officers leave their guns when entering a secure area specifically to prevent this happening.
The issue here is that a detainee, handcuffed, managed to smuggle a gun in.
I do not know the current working practices of the Met.
I do know that in other forces they are scanned before entry.
Officers in secure areas have tasers and batons, which are more than adequate to control handcuffed prisoners before a strip search, if required.
The last Police Officers before this killed by firearms where in 2012, a gun and grenade attack, being armed would not have prevented it.
We have specialist firearms unit on patrol.
They are very efficient.