Few British police carry guns. Here's some background.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

http://www.abqjournal.com/598426/news/b ... icing.html

The above link was written by Griff White, who is the London bureau chief for the Washington Post.
This story appeared in the Dallas Morning Snooze on June 21, 2015, but the link above happens to
be from the Albuquerque, NM Journal.

The sub-title of the article was "Unarmed British police: blueprint for US officers?"
IMHO, you will never see unarmed American LEO's, but I do think there should be less
shootings of people who don't really pose a threat, as well as fewer dog shootings.

A shocking stat in this article is that the Greater Manchester (UK) Police has 6,700
LEO's, but only 209 are armed. That's just 3% of the force.

From 2004-2013, here's the stats from England and Wales:

British LEO's discharged their firearms this many times each year: 5, 9, 3, 7, 5, 6, 4, 5, 3.
British LEO's killed this many people for the same years: 3, 5, 1, 5, 3, 2, 2, 2, 0

This particular article doesn't address the German police officers but I read elsewhere that
they tend to be college graduates and they receive intense training in de-escalation techniques,
and they are armed, but rarely use their weapons.

SIA

[Taypo]

I spent a couple years in Germany in the mid 90's and spent some time with the Polizei. At that time, they were doing a two year police academy. Back then, it wasn't so much about deescalation as it was intimidation - most of the locals knew that once they showed up, it was time to play nice or someone was probably going to take a beating. They were still using the hard rubber batons that wouldn't break if you hit someone too hard.

[android]

OK, I know it's been edited, but I'm pretty damn impressed with the amount of deescalation on the Alaska State Trooper show.

For example they get involved with a drunk and drugged up former Marine with a shotgun threatening to kill his wife, threatening suicide and threatening anyone that tries to stop him. They talk the guy down, take his gun and haul him to jail.

9/10 cops in the rest of the country would have shot him straight away because they felt threatened.

There are obviously different standards and expectations of professionalism.

[OldCurlyWolf]

OK, I know it's been edited, but I'm pretty darn impressed with the amount of deescalation on the Alaska State Trooper show.

For example they get involved with a drunk and drugged up former Marine with a shotgun threatening to kill his wife, threatening suicide and threatening anyone that tries to stop him. They talk the guy down, take his gun and haul him to jail.

9/10 cops in the rest of the country would have shot him straight away because they felt threatened.

There are obviously different standards and expectations of professionalism.

Those Alaska troopers are mostly out there on their own without backup, outnumbered and outgunned. In that situation you had better be good at talking to people and be ready to GO if that doesn't work.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

One of the most impressive examples of coolness and gentlemanly conduct under duress
was a video I saw (on COPS maybe?) of a Georgia (US) State Patrol officer who was
questioning a man at night.

The man pulled a knife and started lunging at the officer. The officer kept saying
"Sir, put down the knife. Put down the knife or I'll have to shoot you" while he was
wrestling with the BG.

The BG wouldn't put down the knife, and was eventually shot by the LEO. Wounded,
not killed.

I have never seen an officer under armed attack who was cool as a cucumber like
that GSP LEO. Anyone ever see that one?

SIA