- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Police Firearms Operations in England, Wales Grew by 19% - UK Home Office

© AP Photo / Alastair GrantUK police
UK police - Sputnik International
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The number of police firearms operations in England and Wales increased by 19 percent in the financial year ending March 2018 and amounted to over 18,000 cases, which is the highest number of operations since 2011, the UK Home Office said on Thursday.

"In the year ending March 2018, there were 18,746 police firearms operations in England and Wales. This is an increase of 2,937 (19%) police firearms operations compared to the previous year, and is the highest number of operations since the year ending March 2011," the statistical bulletin, published by the UK government press service, read.

READ MORE: UK Police Increase Security for MP Who Spoke Out About Pakistani Grooming Gangs

The contents of a rucksack that was found by officers searching the older boy's hideout, which prosecutors claimed were instruments for building an explosive - Sputnik International
UK Police Failed to Respond 'Adequately' to 2 Teens' Plans to 'Shoot Up School'
About 27 percent of all police firearms operations across England and Wales took place in London, while the North East accounted for the smallest proportion, with 2 percent of operation happening there, the Home Office said.

The data also demonstrated that the number of armed officers is on the rise. There were 6,459 armed officers at the end of March, which is a 3-percent increase, compared with the previous year. This is the second consecutive year which witnesses growth of armed police personnel, the statistics showed.

The data was gathered from the 43 Home Office police forces in England and Wales from April 2017 to March 2018.

UK police officers do not carry firearms on a daily basis. In 2016, the government launched a five-year national armed policing uplift program to increase armed policing capability in the use of firearms amid fears that police constables without guns might be unable to respond adequately to growing terrorist risks.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала