Britain's first armed police on routine patrol (BBC)

By Jon Kelly
BBC News Magazine

In a little-noticed move, a small number of police officers are now routinely carrying sidearms while on patrol in much of Scotland - the first in the UK outside Northern Ireland to do so. How did this come about, and does it alter the relationship between the constabulary and the public?

Saturday night in Inverness. Outside a McDonald's restaurant, a scuffle between two men breaks out. Three police officers arrive to intervene. So far, so mundane.

Except that strapped around the hips of each of the policemen approaching the brawl is a holstered Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol.

It's a sight that once would have been unthinkable. In this corner of the Scottish Highlands - an area with one of the lowest crime rates in the UK - the officers showing up to a relatively workaday disturbance are armed.

Although every police force has a firearms unit, for decades it has been an article of faith that in the mainland UK, almost uniquely among major industrialised nations, the police do not carry guns as a matter of course.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28656324




Is this the end of an era ? Read the rest of the article to get some idea of how Brits feel about this change ...

MODS: This is in the UK, and regards only police officers -- not a 2nd amendment topic, as US Bill of Rights has no jurisdiction.