-
That photo was 2003 so the MP5, Glock pistol, CS spray, handcuffs and an extending baton was it because I was in a "private" area. Now, out in the wild, armed cops have pepper spray, a baton, a taser, a sidearm (Glock) and an MP5 or maybe a longer weapon. This all depends on where they are deployed. Every encounter you have involves the cop thinking about where on the scale of equipment they start then whether to escalate or de-escalate. Everything has to be justified on a use of force form (unless you're the Met, probably)
Edit: At places like Chequers you'd also carry a couple of smoke grenades.
Constable_Savage-
I think what D_H is asking, apologies if I'm mistaken, is what happens if an armed officer who's got an MP5 round their neck sees someone say nick a chocolate bar from a corner shop? Are they going to just swing the gun onto their back and arrest the suspect the old fashioned way?
Is there not risk for a firearms officer whenever they are involved in a situation but don't have hands on their gun? -
Everything has to be justified on a use of force form (unless you're the Met, probably)
Everything is supposed to be justified as a use/show of force (at least, that's what we were told in training). Even for "unarmed", racking out your baton (actually, first step was unholstering it, then raising it, then racking out, then clobbering - each a different level of "force") or unclipping the CS Spray holster was supposed to be justifiable and recorded. How much was actually recorded I am guessing was very low, but I didn't stick around long enough to find out.
PhilDAS
stevo_com
Genuine question (you’ve just jogged my memory) - wtf are visible armed police (in train stations/airports/stadiums/etc) supposed to do with anything that requires less than armed response? They presumably can’t put the guns down, so does everything escalate to pointing them at people?