Police are increasing the number of firearms officers in response to terror threat

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Armed Policing, Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman said:

“The fall in the number of authorised firearms officers over recent years reflects the fact that forces in England and Wales have moved to more collaborative arrangements with armed officers working regionally rather than in individual forces.  Decisions on numbers were based on local threat and risk assessments.

“The arrangements have maintained an effective armed policing capability to protect the public in all areas of the country, as well as enabling forces to make efficiency savings in response to budget cuts.

“Following the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, we closely examined our ability to respond to a similar attack in the UK and determined that we needed to recruit and train more armed officers to meet the escalation of the terrorist threat.  Several forces have recently announced plans to increase their number of armed officers and the government has provided additional funding. Together this national and local funding this will deliver an extra 1500 officers over the next 18 months.

“Recruitment to those roles will be a challenge. New authorised firearms officers will be existing police officers who volunteer for a highly responsible and dangerous job to protect the public. These officers will want reassurance that in the rare event that they discharge their weapons they will be treated as highly trained professionals who were carrying out their duty on behalf of the state, with the intention of protecting the communities they serve.”