§ 12. Mr. de Freitasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that in none of the four countries in which the police were unarmed at the time of the abolition of capital punishment was it found necessary to arm the police because of the abolition of capital punishment; and whether he will give an assurance that he will restrict the carrying of arms by the police in this country to the rare cases in which it has been the practice for many years.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeFirearms are available for use by police officers when engaged on specially dangerous duty. The police are averse from the carrying of arms in other circumstances and I share their aversion, but I cannot say what it may be necessary to do should the carrying and use of arms by professional criminals become prevalent in this country.