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To: Police Scotland Chief Constable, Stephen House

Stop the Scottish police routinely carrying firearms

The policy of Scottish firearms officers now carrying their weapons on routine patrols is unnecessary and fuels a climate of fear.

We’re calling on you to revert this policy. For safety, firearms should be locked away and only taken out by a firearms officer when it is deemed necessary and authorised by a senior officer.

Why is this important?

If police carry arms routinely, this will fuel fear and criminals might arm themselves more heavily.

Despite this, a number of police officers (around 300) are now routinely carrying sidearms while on patrol in much of Scotland. Armed police officers have been seen in a bakery, in a branch of Aldi and at a routine traffic incident in Glasgow - all incidents where it was unnecessary for the officer to have a firearm by his side.

Until 2009, firearms officers had to keep their weapons in a locked safe and have a senior officer’s authorisation to take them. Firearms officers should revert back to this practice, because it is not necessary that they take their arms on routine patrol.

Scotland

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2014-08-11 22:35:24 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2014-08-10 12:45:51 +0100

500 signatures reached

2014-08-09 15:29:22 +0100

100 signatures reached

2014-08-09 14:32:32 +0100

50 signatures reached

2014-08-09 14:09:08 +0100

25 signatures reached

2014-08-09 14:03:51 +0100

10 signatures reached