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INTRODUCTION
1. In Scotland and the rest of mainland UK, unlike the majority of police forces in the world, only certain police officers, Authorised Firearms Officers ( AFOs), are issued with firearms, and only then in specific circumstances. The definition of an AFO and criteria for issue of firearms are provided at paragraphs 4-7 in Appendix A.
2. Moreover, the role of an AFO, is a voluntary one, meaning that a police officer in the UK cannot be required to carry a firearm. The average percentage of AFOs per force across Scotland is 3.7%, ranging from 2.2% in Strathclyde to 8.6% in Northern. It should be noted that although CS incapacitant spray also falls within the terms of firearms legislation it is now routinely issued, alongside the police baton, to most officers in Scotland. Such standard personal protective pieces of equipment were not considered in this inspection.
3. It is an unfortunate reality that necessary improvements in the police use of firearms have often followed shootings by police. However, the inquiries carried out following such events have yielded valuable learning points for the service. Where members of the public and police officers have been injured or killed during operations or training it is wholly appropriate that police use of firearms be subject to a highly structured and auditable review process.
4. Data on the frequency with which firearms are used by forces in Scotland are collated by HMICS and these statistics, which are updated annually on the HMICS website 1, are provided at Appendix B.
5. It is to the credit of Scottish forces that the number of occasions on which the police discharge conventional firearms during operations is very low. Since 1997/98 2 there have been three instances (all of which were non-fatal) where conventional firearms have been discharged at persons, and 43 instances requiring the destruction of an animal. The range of options available to officers for resolving very dangerous incidents has improved over time, ensuring that the police response is proportionate and involves only reasonable force.
6. Public accountability is an essential element of any scrutiny process, even of operationally sensitive aspects of policing where a greater degree of professional discretion is called for. For this reason we are particularly grateful to have had the assistance of John Scott, a lawyer with considerable experience in the field of human rights. Through his lay involvement in this inspection he has had access to all documentation supplied by forces, thus ensuring that relevant areas of public concern have been considered.
7. This thematic inspection responds directly to recommendation 7 of the 2006 restricted ACPOS Protective Services Capability and Capacity Review ( PSCCR) - Police Use of Firearms Workstream report, (see paragraph 81). The purpose of the Review was " to carry out an assessment of national specialist tactical firearms capability and covert firearms support for extended pre-planned operations encompassing serious and organised crime and counter terrorism". It was one strand of a wider review co-ordinated by Chief Constable Ian Latimer on behalf of ACPOS.
8. In June 2008, we met with the ACPOS portfolio holder for the police use of firearms to ensure that our remit was consistent with current needs.
9. In recognition of developments such as the 2006 publication of the Firearms Threat and Risk Assessment Guide, and of recent significant incidents and their associated learning opportunities, the following remit for this inspection was agreed between ourselves and ACPOS.
Terms of reference
10. HMICS will examine this subject to identify areas of good practice and, where appropriate, make recommendations to the Service on how procedures may be improved. The inspection will focus on the following areas:
- Progress made on implementing the recommendations of the ACPOS Protective Services Capacity and Capability Review of 2006 in respect of the Police Use of Firearms Workstream.
- Any revisions to the above ACPOS approach resulting from significant and relevant events.
- The process of firearms strategic threat and risk assessment development, implementation and review.
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