Quoted: Why is it in every report about crime in England they say their police don't carry guns. The news reports I see make it sound like the average Joe in England would be shocked if the typical day beat cop was armed. Yet I have seen many pictures where they have police officers not only carrying firearms but carrying sub-machineguns. Do only officers guarding high level buildings carry?
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I saw a good amount of MP5-wielding cops in London and even more "rapid response vehicles" as I think they were called. Basically vans full of machine-gun wielding officers that drive around.
I went by Parliament three times (mostly to harass the protestors that are always there) and there is always an armed presence outside.
That's as much as I know and it is based on my experiences almost two years ago.
- BG
EDIT: To answer your question... there ARE armed cops, but not a huge percentage of the police force is armed. When they do have guns, they tend to have some serious firepower. Not once did I see one with just a pistol. Never saw a shottie either.