Armed policing
Part of: Behind the frontline Police ethics and accountability
At its core, policing in England and Wales remains an unarmed service. Yet police personnel must be prepared to protect the public and themselves from extreme danger. They must be able to deal with criminals using firearms. The law allows the police, in some circumstances, to use reasonable force. And on some occasions, the police’s use of force involves the deployment of armed officers.
Armed policing inspections
An inspection of how effective police forces are in the deployment of firearms – July 2023
Between November 2022 and January 2023 we examined how effective police forces are in the deployment of firearms, including specialist munitions.
We did this by answering the following questions:
- How well do policies, structures and processes comply with relevant guidance and legislation?
- How effectively do forces work together operationally across force boundaries?
- How effective are forces in the selection, training and deployment of tactical firearms advisors, tactical firearms commanders and strategic firearms commanders?
Report on criminal use of firearms
Criminal use of firearms inspection: Guns, Community and the Police – April 2004
This report examines the complex link between guns, community and the police.