"At least they finally got smart enough to arm their cops."
Well, not exactly. There have always been some armed police, just not
many of them. The copper on the beat has never needed a weapon, and
still doesn't. We may speak their language, but they have a different
culture. The historic Flying Squad has always been armed. The terror
squad, such as those who tracked, then shot and killed the idiot, have
been armed with assault weapons long before ours because of the IRA
terrorists. They also have special roving squads that are armed. The
only thing that counts is that it works for them, and no one in England
can foresee a need to change. Even the coppers don't want them (it is
extremely rare for an English cop to be assaulted, let alone shot).
Personally, as an ex-cop involved and injured in three riots--including
the biggest in American history--I envy their system, their coppers, and
especially their lengthy training in dealing with people. No macho
stuff tolerated over there!
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