It won't stay just in London. Those people are drug users/dealers. It USED TO BE just in the big cities of America. It is now in EVERY town in America. Even in the middle schools (grades 6-8).

Arming cops is opening Pandora's Box. I guarantee that once cops are armed, it is only a matter of time before cops will begin shooting unarmed civilians. Including little kids. Yes, that's right. I said little kids. I have lost track of how many little kids were killed by trigger happy cops.

Cops in America routinely murder the homeless, severely mentally ill, and in one recent case, a nurse who was peacefully sleeping in her own bed when cops mistakenly raided the wrong house.

Cop culture is a macho culture. Not only that , but cop culture attracts those who enjoy violence.

So, if you want your relatives, friends, neighbors to be drug out of their cars and beaten within an inch of their lives, then by all means, arm cops. If you want your towns, villages etc to look like downtown Beirut, then by all means, arm cops.

It's a very slippery slope.

Tasers may help, but only if the policeman spots the criminal first!
I am thinking of a longer term solution so, if they take one life, they will never be able to take another!
But we are all too soft for that in Britain.... and that is why they commit these violent acts here

We need more police for sure. Back in the day up here in Scotland, police were big burly brutes who didn't think twice about taking you round the back and charging you with "resisting arrest". They walked the streets and everyone felt safer. Now you get little guys with big attitudes standing with their hands in their vests looking the other way because its too much paperwork.

The trick is to look at countries with low rates of crime and see how we can emulate those conditions.

The trick is to look at countries with low rates of crime and see how we can emulate those conditions.

Do frontline police want to carry guns, have they been asked for an opinion even.

Armed officers are limited but they are highly trained, not all officers would necessarily have the apitude.

During an arrest for instance, the risk of the officer being disarmed a greater danger.

The relationship between them and the public irreversible changed.

In countries where the police are armed, they still have terrorist attacks.

Politicians and Police have a difficult problem, only they should decide.

Think they will resist pressure.

Start with parents.

I'm sure that happens in America, but does the same thing happen in western European countries?

If people use knives or machetes in violent fights, they cannot be sure that they won't kill people .
Giving the police guns will just make these people more violent and they may kill the police.

I am sick of hearing people say "we shouldn't kill murderers" then complain that people are regularly killed on our streets.

If we want to stop violent attacks, lets kill the people responsible for them & teach others that violence is not acceptable and we wont tolerate it with just a few years in prison as punishment!

I don't agree that it makes us as bad as the criminals, and those who think that way would soon change their mind if these violent criminals killed somebody they love, when released from prison >

Every time these events are reported there will be others who think they can do the same.... and it will get worse.

Discipline in schools, non existent with the resultant juvenile delinquency.