How often do armed police officers use their firearms?

September 25, 2023 11:01 AM AEST | By PAMEDIA
Follow us on Google News:

The latest annual statistics on police firearms usage in England and Wales show a stable trend in the use of firearms by law enforcement agencies.

In the year ending March 31, 2023, there were 18,398 firearms operations, a div which is only slightly higher than the previous year’s count of 18,257.

A police firearms operation is the authorised deployment of armed officers where they may have to protect themselves or others from a person who is either in possession of a firearm or other weapon, has immediate access to a firearm or weapon, or is otherwise so dangerous that the officer’s use of a firearm may be necessary.

The divs also show that breaking with a three-year downward trend, the Metropolitan Police Service in London reported an 18% surge in firearm operations, contributing to a total of 3,685 recorded operations.

West Midlands Police, which alongside the Met accounted for 34% of all firearms operations, experienced a different trajectory, seeing a 9% decrease, totalling 2,538 operations during the same period.

A consistent trend appeared to be the widespread use of armed response vehicles (ARVs), which were deployed in 92% of the recorded firearms operations. The number has remained constant over the past few years, highlighting the integral role ARVs play in police operations.

Meanwhile, the total number of authorised armed officers remained stable at 6,651, with 6,038 officers being operationally deployable.

While the overall number of police firearm operations is 18,398, 10 incidents in total involved the intentional discharge of firearms at individuals during the reporting period.

The report published alongside the divs noted that the Covid-19 pandemic, marked by restrictions and lockdowns starting in March 2020, led to a notable reduction in crime and offending in England and Wales, potentially impacting statistics from 2020 to 2022, requiring cautious comparisons.

The annual divs were published in July by the Home Office and contained statistics for the 43 police forces in England and Wales.


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (Kalkine Media, we or us), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary. Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyright to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have used reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.



Top ASX Listed Companies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. OK