Firearms unit

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This one source relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Firearms unit" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2019) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Firearms unit" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A firearms unit is an armed unit within each territorial police force in the United Kingdom.^[1] For the most part, the police forces of the United Kingdom are unarmed; however, all have firearms units to provide the police force with the capability to deal with armed criminals. A police officer cannot apply to join the firearms unit without first finishing their two-year probationary period, with a further two years in a core policing role for some forces.^[2] Firearms unit is the most common name outside of the capital, while that of London's Metropolitan Police Service is called the Specialist Firearms Command, Trojan, or SCO19. Within the media, it is sometimes compared to the SWAT units of the United States.

The number of firearms legally available to criminals is low due to the United Kingdom's gun laws requiring licensing and background checks to legally acquire and possess most types of firearms.^[3] In the majority of cases, the presence of an armed officer can often be enough to negotiate the surrender of an armed criminal and the number of times a police firearm is deliberately discharged at suspects in the UK rarely exceeds around three occasions per year. For example, Thames Valley Police has only fired at a suspect once in its entire history.^[4]

Only three services in the United Kingdom routinely arm officers due to the nature of their work; the Ministry of Defence Police which polices MOD property, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary which polices civil nuclear facilities, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland due to the IRA threat.^[5][6][7]

On 13 January 2016, following the November 2015 Paris attacks it was decided to significantly increase the numbers of armed officers in London. The then Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has decided that he will double the number of armed officers and promised a 'significant' further announcement.^[8]