More armed officers on Scotland’s streets as range of duties expanded
Armed officers will be deployed to more incidents as part of a new Police Scotland policy.
The force has confirmed that plans to extend the role of Armed Response Vehicle (ARV) officers will come into place on May 7.
ARV officers will now also help deal with public protection and vulnerability-related incidents, after previously being restricted to more serious duties.
The policy follows a U-turn on firearms deployments in 2014 that led to armed officers only responding to firearms incidents or those involving threat to life.
Assistant Chief Constable Nelson Telfer described the current deployment model as “inefficient”.
He said: “Whilst this move is designed to maximise the safety of the Scottish public, we are aware that in the past there have been some concerns about the role of armed police officers in our communities and that previously we have not engaged as well as we could have when making decisions about how they are deployed.
“We have learned from that experience and have carried out extensive engagement with the Scottish Police Authority, elected representatives and other key stakeholders to explain why we are doing this.”
Police Scotland announced an uplift in dedicated firearms officers in 2016 that led to 124 more joining the force.
Ninety-nine of these officers were dedicated to ARVs.
In 2014, then Chief Constable Sir Stephen House was criticised for allowing officers to be armed on routine duties, leading to restrictions being placed on the kinds of incidents firearms officers could be deployed to.
This deployment model allowed ARV officers to respond to incidents they come across during their patrols, as well as threats to life that do not involve firearms.
They are also trained in emergency first aid and can assist colleagues if they can arrive at a scene before an ambulance.
The new policy will see ARV officers respond to more local issues and support national campaigns such as drink-driving.
Their deployment will be overseen by specially-trained inspectors, to ensure they also remain available for serious incidents.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam Mc Arthur supported the change in policy but warned armed policing should not become the norm.
“There needs to be sensible guidelines in place to ensure that armed officers on our streets do not become the default,” he added.
