The murder of an unarmed police officer in Parliament last month has sparked a debate about why British cops don’t routinely carry guns. Shockingly, the main reason police are unarmed is because the officers refuse to carry guns. They have a sensible reason for not wanting guns, but it’s depressing.
Every time someone is shot by the police in the UK, the case is referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). In practice, this means the officer is investigated by his professional standards body automatically and can face the sack and prosecution if it rules against him.
Read the full article at the New York Observer.