Police Chief Says Officers Could end up Being Ordered to Carry Firearms

A senior police officer has warned Britain is ’sleepwalking' into a situation where chief constables have to order their officers to carry guns.

A forensics officer takes photographs of the scene where 24 year old Chris Kaba was killed by police in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, south London, on Sept. 5, 2022. PA

The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s armed policing lead, Simon Chesterman, has warned the days of officers volunteering for firearms duties may be over and chief constables may be forced to order, or mandate, personnel to carry guns.

At a conference in London on Thursday, Mr. Chesterman said armed policing was in a, “precarious and difficult position.”