Armed Police in Britain?

Only over my dead body. Why is it that in this essentially deeply conservative and traditional country every time something dreadful happens, voices call for diehard knee-jerk reactions like the new "anti-terror" legislation and now, with the callous murder of a PC, for the further arming of police officers?

Don't they realise that our police force and its policy of no bearing of firearms is actually a shining example to most of the rest of Europe?

Don't they realise that these officers bearing firearms would almost certainly not have prevented this latest killing?

Don't they realise that only officers with their hand constantly on the holster, ready to return fire, like the Sheriffs in the US of Dodge City, could make these firearms "effective"? Do we want that kind of society?

Don't they realise that arming every police officer will only lead to more gunfights and more gun related deaths, on both sides?

Don't they realise that the police are already backed up by rapid intervention armed units?

And film director Michael Winner, founder of the Police Memorial Trust, said if officers were armed they would have "a better chance of retaliation". That's right Michael, retaliation is really going to solve the problem...

No, what does need to be done is to investigate how despite the widely supported ban, more and more illegal firearms seem to be appearing on our streets. That should be our priority, you knee-jerkers...

Keywords: Police, gun crime, firearms, Britain