Being French and having grown up in a country where cops have been armed for a long long time, I never understood the 'bobby with a baton' thing in UK. I've heard all the arguments against armed cops, they might have been valid 20 or 30 years ago, I disagree that they are still valid today. UK gun crime is the highest in Europe per inhabitant despite the toughest gun laws also in Europe, and you can't fight criminals who carry guns with batons or tonfas, which most cops don't know how to properly use anyway. Of course cops would need to be trained to not become nervous or trigger-happy, just like in any other country. And to stop guys with bombs a baton won't cut the mustard, log a slug or two and you might have a chance, as proven today. the argument that says that if cops armed, then criminals will load as well was valid before, but now criminals are loaded anyway, so I say, give a cop a gun, and the training that comes with it!