Glasgow stabbings show why Scotland's armed police need their guns to hand – Kenny MacAskill

Previous outrage over the sight of armed police officers was santimonious and wrong, writes former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.
By Kenny MacAskill
Published 1st Jul 2020, 16:45 BST
An armed officer at the scene of the stabbings of six people in Glasgow. The suspect was shot dead by police (Picture: John Devlin)An armed officer at the scene of the stabbings of six people in Glasgow. The suspect was shot dead by police (Picture: John Devlin)
An armed officer at the scene of the stabbings of six people in Glasgow. The suspect was shot dead by police (Picture: John Devlin)

The events last week in Glasgow were truly shocking. For sure there were doubtless underlying reasons including mental health and atrocious living conditions for asylum seekers. But it’s still the first duty of any state to keep its people safe. The death of the young man is also a tragedy but police officers acted bravely and professionally, not just Pc David Whyte who was severely injured.

The debate on armed police officers has thankfully moved on since the poison that permeated back in 2013. Numerous incidents in recent years have shown that sadly an armed police response is needed in some instances. Thankfully, those that howled like banshees back then are now muted.

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I recall sanctimonious outrage expressed at the sight of officers with pistols strapped to their thigh. Even senior Glasgow councillors contacted me. Surely, the guns could be left in the vehicles they said. I explained that would make the vehicles a target. Break in and arm yourself.

More importantly, officers required to be able to react instantly to an incident. Going back to their vehicle to access a gun from the secure armoury simply wasn’t practical and could be potentially calamitous.

And so, it seems to have come to pass. A taser was inadequate and no other option was available. To allow the overwhelming majority of officers to remain unarmed we require a few to be so and that means having the firearms available for use, even if in sight.

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