Our courageous police

It is rare for police in Scotland to use plastic bullets, with just three rounds being fired this year. There are some who will say this is three too many and take the opportunity to condemn “police brutality”.

However, there will always be situations where police are required to use force to protect themselves and the public. And the public needs to recognise that.

A new report has found that police were right to fire a plastic bullet at a 48-year-old woman wielding an axe in Edinburgh earlier this year. Chief Superintendent Matt Richards said the officers involved “acted courageously in a dynamic situation and put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect the public”.

While there is a need to ensure officers’ actions are proportionate, the small number of incidents where any type of firearm is used is a testament to their training and restraint and that track record should be taken into account before any rush to judgment when such incidents occur. And, given that a moment’s hesitation can prove fatal, officers need to be confident they will always be fairly treated.