Press Release Summary = The former leader of Britain's senior police officers has warned that the service could face difficulties finding enough policemen and women willing to carry firearms unless those officers are given greater legal protection following shooting incidents.
Press Release Body = Chris Fox, the former President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and ex-chief constable of Northamptonshire, told an audience of security experts while officers were willing to be fully accountable and understood that they had to be able to justify their actions, they did not seem to get the same levels of protection that other members of society received.
Asked whether police officers were no longer willing to come forward to take up firearms, Mr Fox said: "Certainly that's an issue, and it will become more of an issue if officers cannot be given some level of legal protection."
Examining the consequences of fatal shootings by police officers, Mr Fox continued: "When a Crown Prosecutor or a coroner looks at a case and decides that the shooting was lawful, the prosecution stops there. But because we are seen as an agent of the state, or of security, this is somehow seen as the police not being accountable enough, as the prosecutor or coroner is viewed by some as being part of the same state organisation. "There are plenty of other incidences of prosecutions not going ahead because a prosecutor has decided that certain actions are lawful, but when it involves police firearms officers some people don't seem prepared to accept that. In reality police officers aren't even getting the same level of protection as other members of society."
Mr Fox was speaking at the Counter Terror World Conference in London, where more than 300 delegates from around the world gathered to discuss and debate the latest techniques and technology involved in combating terrorism.
The conference ran alongside London's largest ever security exhibition, featuring more than 150 leading companies including SecurityOracle.com, the website for the security industry. Andrew Greenfield, SecurityOracle.com MD, said: "The standard of debate in the conference was matched by the innovation and technology on display in the exhibition, and we had a fantastic response over the two days from delegates and exhibition visitors alike."
Web Site = http://www.securityoracle.com
Contact Details = Andrew Greenfield Security Oracle http://www.securityoracle.com Unit 7 The Old Bakery South Road Reigate Surrey RH27LB 01737222958
2022
