§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hand guns and rifles, respectively, are presently held by police forces in Scotland.
§ Mr. YoungerScottish police forces currently hold 406 hand guns, 116 rifles and 74 shotguns.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland which police personnel in Scotland carry firearms in the normal course of duty; and if he will describe the duties and professional remit of any such personnel.
§ Mr. YoungerNone: firearms are issued to police officers in Scotland only when particular operational duties make this necessary.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the types of firearms other than hand guns held by police forces in Scotland; and whether any control is exercised by him over the number and range of weapons purchased by Scottish police forces.
§ Mr. YoungerIn addition to hand guns police forces in Scotland hold various makes of rifles and shotguns. The number and range of weapons held are operational matters for decision by the chief constable. Recommendations on suitable firearms are made from time to time by a standing committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers, and the range of weapons held by Scottish forces accords in the main with these recommendations.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland in what circumstances firearms may be issued to policemen in Scotland; who authorises such issue; and in what circumstances a policeman may use such firearms.
§ Mr. YoungerFirearms are issued to police officers in Scotland only when this is judged necessary for the operational duties on which they are to be engaged. These are: duties related to incidents involving criminals or other persons known or believed to be armed; protection duties; or the destruction of injured or dangerous animals. The issue of firearms is governed by the standing orders of forces, is made only to officers trained in their use and requires the authorisation of a senior officer, normally of the rank of superintendent or above. All such issues are reported as soon as possible to the chief constable.
Firearms may be fired against people by authorised police officers in the execution of their duty only as a last resort in cases of absolute necessity. Thus, under common law this use would be justifiable if it was necessary in self-defence of the officer himself or to prevent the death of a third party.
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§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions firearms were issued to policemen in Scotland in each of the last five years; and on how many occasions in each of these years shots were fired by policemen in Scotland in the course of their duties, excluding during range practice or other training exercises.
§ Mr. YoungerThe information is given in the following table. During this period shots were fired only for the destruction of injured or dangerous animals.
Number of occasions on which firearms were issued Number of occasions on which shots were issued fired 1978 479 3 1979 699 2 1980 595 2 1981 617 6 1982 766 6
Mr. Ron Brownasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times Scottish policemen were authorised to carry firearms during 1982; and what rules of conduct have been laid down for the protection of the public.
§ Mr. YoungerScottish police officers were authorised to carry firearms on 766 occasions in 1982.
It is for chief constables to promulgate within forces the rules to be observed in the use of firearms. I am satisfied that all of them place great importance on the need to give the highest priority, in incidents involving firearms, to the safety of the public and that this is suitably emphasised in instructions and training.