List of police firearms in the United Kingdom

British police officers are not routinely armed.^[1] Instead, they rely on specially trained Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO) to attend incidents where firearms might be needed. Specialist Firearms Officers are usually trained to a higher standard than an AFO, because they are likely to be the officers required to enter besieged premises. The vast majority of firearms used by the British Police are semi-automatic. Police use of force regarding firearms is governed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Weapons used by Home Office police forces

Firearms used by police officers vary between police forces in the UK. The Chief Constable and Police authority of each force decides the number of firearms officers and type of police firearms available.

Firearms issued to Authorised Firearms Officers include:

Pistols

• Glock 17 pistol (used by various forces, including Gwent Police and London's Metropolitan Police)^[2]
• Glock 26 pistol (issued to plain clothes officers of London's Metropolitan Police)
• Walther P99 pistol (used by Nottinghamshire Police)
• SIG Sauer P226 pistol (Used by Northamptonshire Police and Kent Police)
• Heckler & Koch USP pistol (Used by North Wales Police)

Carbines, Shotguns, and Rifles

An officer of Metropolitan Police Service guarding Downing Street with a MP5SFA3 semi-automatic carbine. It has an EOTech 512 holographic sight attached.

• Heckler & Koch MP5SF (used by various forces, including Gwent police and London's Metropolitan Police)^[3]
• Heckler & Koch G36 variants^[4] (used by various forces, including Kent Police)
• LMT Defender AR-15 variant (used By Cheshire Police^[5] and British Transport Police)
• Heckler & Koch G3 variant (used for sniping roles)^[6]
• Remington 870 shotgun (used by Greater Manchester Police)^[7]
• SIG 550 (551 variant) (used by West Mercia Police) ^[8] (553 variant) (used by West Yorkshire Police and Staffordshire Police) ^[9][10]
• SIG 516 AR-15 variant increasingly used by police around the UK ^[11][12]
• HK417 Marksmen Rifle (used by Surrey Police and West Mercia Police) ^[13][14]
• HK416C (used by Hampshire Police) ^[15]
• Sig Sauer MCX used by London Metropolitan Police for dignitary protection and CQB^[16][17]

Northern Ireland

Unlike territorial police forces in England, Scotland and Wales, the Police Service of Northern Ireland routinely arms all of its officers.^[18] Officers are issued the Glock 17 pistol, phasing out the now obsolete Ruger Speed-Six revolvers previously issued. Historically, long arms were routinely issued: either the Sterling submachine gun and later Heckler & Koch MP5, or rifles such as Heckler & Koch G3s, G36 K and C variants, or HK33s. The latter replaced Ruger AC-556 select fire rifles. Long arms are still routinely carried in areas of higher threat such as North and West Belfast or various border areas.

Weapons used by non-Home Office police forces

A Ministry of Defence Police Officer on duty with an SA80 L85A2

British Transport Police

Most British Transport Police officers are unarmed. British Transport police AFOs carry:

• Glock 17 pistol^[19]
• LMT Defender^[19]

Belfast Harbour Police

Belfast Harbour Police officers carry Ruger 9mm revolvers identical to those carried by the Royal Ulster Constabulary prior to 2001, when on duty.

Belfast International Airport Constabulary

Officers of the Belfast International Airport Constabulary carry Ruger 9mm revolvers whilst on duty. Officers are also authorised to carry Heckler & Koch MP5 support weapons, similar to those used by the Police Service of Northern Ireland prior to the adoption of the Heckler & Koch G36.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary

Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) officers are routinely armed while carrying out their duties. CNC officers carry:

• Glock 17
• Heckler & Koch G36

CNC officers also operate the armament on board the ships of the company Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited,^[20] which specialise in transporting spent nuclear fuel and reprocessed uranium on behalf of the British Nuclear Fuels organisation.^[21] Such ships have an on-board escort of armed police.^[22][23] The Civil Nuclear Constabulary use a range of heavier weapons up to automatic cannon of 30mm calibre deployed on the ships.

Historic firearms

In the past, police have been issued:

• Webley Revolver
• Lee–Enfield rifles
• Sten Gun
• Sterling Mark 6 "Police"—semi-automatic-only version of the Sterling smg
• Ruger Mini-14 rifle Used in the past by Surrey Police.^[24]
• Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver—used in the past by Surrey police.
• Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver—used in the past by Surrey police detectives.
• Parker Hale Safari sniper rifle—used in the past by Surrey police.
• Browning Hi-Power handgun—used in the past by Surrey police.

References

1. Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
2. https://web.archive.org/20130616012014/http://content.met.police.uk:80/Article/Armed-Response-Units-ARVs--Specialist-Firearms-Officers-SFOs/1400013622269/1400013622269. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. Vikram Dodd (28 October 2009). "Scotland Yard's commissioner scraps plan for armed police patrols in London | UK news". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
4. Williams, David (27 April 2012). "Tottenham Court Road bomb scare reveals police team preparing for London 2012 Olympics". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
5. Archived 27 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
6. Wrenn, Eddie; Blake, Matt (27 April 2012). "Topless Tottenham Court Road siege suspect 'demanded a refund from the licence office after he FAILED his HGV driving test'". Daily Mail (London).
7. "Chester Chronicle: Chester News, Chester FC, Sport & What's On". Iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
8. "Photograph" (JPG). Oi55.tinypic.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
9. Archived 1 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
10. "Photograph" (JPG). Staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
11. Greenwood, Colin (18 November 2015). "Chilling new face of police in Britain: Female 'robocops' dressed in military fatigues and armed with semi-automatic rifles are new face of counter-terrorism". Associated Press. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
12. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/29/scotland-yard-creates-sas-style-unit-to-counter-threat-of-terrorist-gun-attack
13. Middleton, Ashley (2012-10-27). "Firearms unit | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
14. "All sizes | Throckmorton | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
15. "Armed police swoop on Hampshire community (From Daily Echo)". M.dailyecho.co.uk. 2014-08-13. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
16. http://soldiersystems.net/2015/09/13/london-metro-police-on-patrol-with-sig-sauer-mcx/
17. http://soldiersystems.net/2015/09/28/london-met-sig-mcx/
18. "Northern Ireland". Encarta. msn. Retrieved 5 June 2007. Unlike police forces in the rest of the United Kingdom, the PSNI is an armed force.
19. "Statewatch News Online: UK: Armed officers from the British Transport Police to be deployed in early 2012". Statewatch.org. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
20. "PNTL Fleet". Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
21. "Nuclear fuel ship docks in Japan". BBC News. 27 September 1999. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
22. Brown, Paul (20 January 1999). "Nuclear fuel ships to be armed with heavy guns". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
23. "UK British nuclear fuel ships armed". BBC News. 8 July 1999. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
24. "Surrey Constabulary: Part 4: A Policing Revolution: 1976-1992". Open.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-30.