When can the police carry guns?

Usually uniformed police officers carry a truncheon or baton to protect themselves against violence. In England, Scotland and Wales firearms may be issued only to specially trained police officers, known as Authorised Firearms Officers, and then only on the authority of a senior officer.

Authority is given when an officer is likely to face an armed criminal or when an officer is deployed to protect a person who may be at risk of attack. Officers may fire weapons only as a last resort if they believe that their or other lives are in danger.

Each Authorised Firearms Officer is personally responsible for the decision to fire, and may be required to justify this action before the courts.

Most forces in England and Wales operate a system of armed response vehicles - patrol cars which carry weapons in a locked box - to provide a speedy initial response to a firearms incident.

Because of terrorist campaigns in Northern Ireland, members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary carry firearms for personal protection.