May 18, 2018 10.56 am This story is over 70 months old

Should rural Lincolnshire police be armed?

What do you think?
Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter

In some parts of the country police chiefs are discussing arming rural police officers so that they can quickly respond to terrorism-related or major incidents.

They say that some areas cannot be reached quickly enough by armed response vehicles due to missed recruitment targets.

Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), told The Independent: “Inevitably, as you get out of the major cities into the more sparsely populated areas, then depending on patrol patterns and numbers the response times will take longer.

“We are working with individual forces to see whether a further financial uplift is required, whether patrol patterns can be a bit more intelligent and whether other options are appropriate, such as routine arming of certain frontline resources.”

Devon and Cornwall forces have confirmed that they are part of the ongoing discussions, but what about Lincolnshire?

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones. Photo: Lincolnshire Reporter

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones said: “Lincolnshire already has the highest proportion of officers in the UK trained to use non-lethal Tasers and have recently invested in the latest Tasers that are safer and more accountable.

“Both myself and the Chief Constable believe that this, coupled with the specialist firearms teams we already operate, deliver a proportional level of protection.

“I do not believe having more routinely armed officers on the streets of our communities is necessary or desirable.”

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.