More than half of Police Scotland officers would like to carry a gun: Poll

More than half of Scotland’s police officers suggested they would like to be able to carry a handgun, according to a new poll.

A survey by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), asking officers to rank what extra equipment they would want, found that 53% would potentially like to be armed with a gun.

The option of carrying a Taser came out top, with 84% of the 1,698 respondents wanting to be equipped with one, with the same percentage of officers indicating they would also like a bodyworn camera.

However, 47% explicitly stated they would not want to carry handguns, while 37% also said they would not want to be trained in their use.

Almost a quarter (22%) of officers who responded said they had been assaulted while working in the past three months and 40 had been attacked in the previous year.

Commenting on the survey, which was first published in the 1919 justice and social affairs magazine, SPF chairman David Hamilton said: “This shows just how real the dangers are to police officers and how vulnerable they feel delivering policing in Scotland.

“The public will be aghast that 22% of our police officers have been assaulted on duty in the last three months.

“These are sons and daughters, mums and dads, each of whom has taken an oath to serve their communities and keep people safe, but communities have a duty to keep their officers safe, too.

“Perhaps the biggest shock is that 53% of our officers would like access to a handgun and a further 7% would be prepared to be trained in it if necessary.

“This demonstrates not just the frequency of attacks but the gravity of them, too.

“Officers consider knives to be the greatest risk to them and firearms are the appropriate last defence to being attacked by such lethal weapons.”

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor told the magazine that Police Scotland hoped to increase the number of Tasertrained officers by 1,500 over the next three years.

Ms Taylor said: “Policing by the consent of our communities is a core element of Police Scotland’s principles and there are no plans to move away from being an unarmed service which has an armed capability.”

She added: “Being assaulted is not simply part of the job and tackling the concerning trend of increasing assaults on officers and staff is a priority.

“The chief constable has underlined his commitment to supporting operational capabilities by providing our people with the tools they need to do their jobs and he has also committed to continuing our focus on officer and staff safety.

“We have improved our infrastructure to support more take-up of existing Taser provision and work is under way to uplift the number of Taser-trained officers by 1,500 over the next three years.

“We are providing armed officers with body-worn video and have recently undertaken consultation on a wider rollout of this important kit.”

“This shows just how real the dangers are to police officers and how vulnerable they feel

The notion that more than half of Scotland’s police officers would be in favour of carrying a gun will send shivers down the spines of most right-thinking readers.

The United States is probably the first place that comes to mind when we think about officers being routinely armed.

And while there are many things the USA still does bigger and better, it is not a society where gun violence or public safety appears to be under control.

But look to the reasons why so many officers would like to carry a handgun and it is plain that we have nothing to be complacent about.

Almost a quarter of those who responded to the Scottish Police Federation survey said they had been assaulted in the past three months. The numbers rocket when officers are asked if they have been attacked in the last year.

Knives are considered the greatest threat and so, for many, a handgun would offer greater protection than the most popular options – a Taser or body-worn camera.

This is not an arms race that anyone wants to see in Scotland.

But nor is it right that the men and women who take an oath to keep our communities safe are putting themselves in danger every time they go out on duty.

Policing by consent has long been the watchword of Scottish society.

We must cherish it and work to preserve it, because the alternative is unthinkable.

EQUIPMENT: A survey found 53% of officers would potentially like to be armed with a handgun and 84% wanting to be equipped with a Taser.