British policing and use of force

Sgt Laura HeslopSgt Richard Heslop West Yorkshire Police UK

Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, unarmed female police officers killed in Manchester England (17

Sept 2012)

Scope

• Comparative policing

• Questions about use of force in UK and U.S.A

• Questions about gun laws (and attitudes to firearms) in both countries

Comparative (international) policing

In contrast to policing in North America and across most of Europe, the vast majority of police officers in Britain do not carry lethal firearms. Indeed, for a heavily urbanised country of its population size the situation in Great Britain is probably unique.

United Kingdom of Great Britain England and Wales and Northern Ireland (43 police forces)

Single police force NI and Scotland

Structure of UK Policing

• Single police force in both Northern Ireland and Scotland

• 43 Territorial police forces in England and Wales

• Small number of specialist and national policing agencies

Britain:facts and figures

• 134,100 officers in England and Wales

• Approx 5% carry firearms

• Three incidents in which police discharged conventional firearm in 2010-11.

• 2004 poll found 48% of public against arming the police.

• 2006 Survey found 82% of rank and file officers did not want to be armed.

Britain Continued

• 648 homicides in 2008.

• 39 involving firearms.

• Homicides per capita are 48 times fewer than in the USA

Britain: continued

• Trend is downwards.

• In 2010-11 388 firearms offences in England and Wales - 3% lower than previous 12 months.

Britain: firearms and public

• Stringent Firearms laws. No right to bear arms.

• Tight control of handguns in particular

Gun ownership and violence in U.S.A

• In 2004 36.5% of Americans reported having a gun in their home

• Majority of gun-related deaths suicides: (17,352 in 2007)

• In 2009 of the 15,241 homicides in US

9,146 deaths were by firearms

Questions/discussion

Email: r.heslop@tiscali.co.uk