Californian Reacts | How does UK Police Equipment compare to US Cops?

U.S. police look prepared for war, while UK police look ready to serve their community and citizens.
British Police Equipment:
Various items of equipment are usually carried on the duty belt of uniformed officers, although some have pouches attached to their stab vest, eliminating the need for a belt. Plainclothes officers may wear a harness, which can be worn under clothes. They usually have:
Baton (extendable/collapsible)
Personal radio
CS/PAVA incapacitant spray
Police notebook
Pens
Smartphones (for accessing the PNC, issuing tickets and taking statements)
Torch
Bodycam with audio
Leg restraints
Rigid cuffs (handcuffs)
Taser (specially trained officers, but becoming routinely issued in a few forces)
Extra equipment, such as a first aid kit (including a pocket mask, disposable gloves, germicidal wipes, hypoallergenic tape, wound dressings, a triangular bandage, and sterile plasters), may be stored in a patrol car.

[@californianreacts]

From an officer in the UK answering a question about equipment on the job: 👮🚔 "Apart from my standard items of uniform boots and body armour. I carry my airwave radio set, my work mobile phone/data device. My personal mobile phone. My duty belt has on it, PAVA irritant spray, rigid handcuffs, a leather man multi-tool, an extendable baton, my Taser holster. I also carry a torch, rubber gloves, a vent aid, pocket notebook, pens, contact cards, an aide memoir of traffic offences and a bottle of hand sanitiser. In my bag (which gets thrown in the back of the car) I have various books of forms and tickets and other paperwork I might need. A first aid kit, a set of limb restraints and various other bits of uniform for cold or inclement weather. I think that's about it!" - Adey Hill

[@sampeeps3371]

Not all have tesers. Its good they don't have guns. Only 3-4 people get shot by the police a year in the UK.

[@stuartfitch7093]

All I can say is look up the global peace index. See where the UK is ranked and where the US is ranked. Yes here in the UK, in the likes of London there's plenty of stabbings which tends to headline the news, then people assume it's everywhere, but fact is, once your out the big cities and into the towns and villages you don't get anywhere near the same level of crime. In fact I've lived most of my life in a small rural village where there is no local police at all because there simply is no crime.

[@johnmcgeeney3290]

In Ireland they are the same as in the UK, except for the ARU's (Armed response Units) & The Special Branch. Look up this video and see the differences between the Gardai (irish Police) and the U.S. way of policing. Gardai (Irish Police) Funny Compilation

[@EMPERORSPROTECTION-TERRA4LIFE]

Check out UK armed response. They are the police with guns in the uk. Anytime a gun crime is reported the armed response turn up instead of normal police. They habe MP5,s n shit.

[@brianbonner7128]

I think that the police in the UK are there to serve and protect the public, it seems like the US police are there to force the public to do what the police want, regardless of what the law says. I would never visit America because of the corrupt , bullying and egotistical police, that, to be fair, we only hear about through the media. The UK police make you feel safe, the US police make you feel intimidated

[@bearrichards2667]

Up until about the turn of the 2000's, the best weapon in the British coppers armoury was the phrase "I know your Mum". That were enough to stop any Tom foolery. Lord I'm getting old.

[@rachelpenny5165]

Not really. The local police officer would visit the school to talk to us about what we could do once we reached 16 and to come to him if we needed help. We could also joke with him. When my sister admitted she wanted to knock the helmet pff a policemans head amd he let her do so. We also got invited to the police station and the court in Barnstaple. They did a lot of community work but I grew up in a very rural area.

[@vamthegreat]

The American officer saying “the mercy of the wolves” really shows that the police see most civilians as an occupying force.

[@me5969]

To be fair if he's pulling a car up full of MS13 gang members in a country that sells firearms that put pullets through most body armour then he's not wrong.

[@vamthegreat]

@@me5969 but how many stops do you reckon are there where this happens compared to normal traffic offences?

[@robertmurray8763]

Americans can legally carry a concealed hand gun were that's illegal in most countries. One of the reasons USA murder rate at least five (5) times worse than most other Countries.

[@kenslater7354]

We dont have guns so the police don't need them.

[@stephwaite]

I'd definitely prefer our UK police officers..

[@kenjepson1908]

The first time I visited the US from the UK was with work, the day after I arrived my American boss showed me his collection of shotguns and handguns... I was shocked, I told him I had never seen a real gun before, my boss was as shocked as I was at that revelation and spent the next hour phoning his friends up to tell them that. Within days I had lots of invitations to go shooting, even someone who had weapons from the war of independence wanted me to go shooting with him so I could see the types of guns "that America used to kick our butts with". I decided that seeing as I had managed to get by without touching a gun for 30 something years without any problems that I would decline the offers, I declined an offer to relocate to the US a couple of years later partly based on this and other experiences.

[@ShenandoahShelty]

One third of the US thinks the way you do. Although, if I were a Brit, I would have had some fun with the "kick our butts" guy by pointing out a few of his historical misconceptions. I'm part of the one third of the country that does own guns. Guns and the ability to defend human life with deadly force, while present here for two and a half centuries, has faded to almost non-existence in post WWII Britain. That you feared firearms to the level where you opted against exposure in a controlled environment tells me you made the correct decision in not relocating to the US. Firearms are embedded in our culture, and are literally everywhere.

[@kenjepson1908]

@@ShenandoahShelty I had two experiences in quick succession which convinced me not to relocate to the US; the first was in Virginia, I was in a hotel and heard several "dull thuds" I later found that someone had been shot and murdered on a car park next to my hotel. A couple of weeks later we were in Philadelphia, a rough area I admit, my boss was driving the van and we got lost, we stopped to ask for directions when a bullet hit the back of the van. The "ability to defend human life with deadly force" becomes more of a necessity when there is more likelihood of human life being threatened, guns increase that threat massively, it's an arms race. I keep reading about all the shootings in the US and I just don't get it, I really don't, 100 plus people are killed every day by guns in the US that's like a Boeing Jumbo jet plane crash every 4 or 5 days... any government would ban Jumbo jets from flying if that happened. I don't mean to be flippant or to disrespect your rights, it's your country and your culture after all, but when is enough enough?

[@tyrantworm7392]

@@kenjepson1908 It isn't possible to put the genie back in the bottle for the U.S unfortunately, firearms are everywhere and there is no way that legality will effect the ability of bad dudes to get hold of them. Shooting is fun, and as an ex Firearms Instructor, I miss the access to firearms we had in the U.K, but I would prefer our situation now to that of the U.S, where the threat level from gun crime means that you are in constant yellow alert. I carried in the U.S because as you say, the situation in urban areas pretty much mandates it if you are a proficient shooter (if you are not proficient you are a danger to yourselves, family and others, get good training), I have never given a second thought to having that requirement in the U.K. Somewhat ironically, it was the U.K pistol users/Instructors which led in part, to present modern U.K police firearms doctrines.

[@daveturner6006]

When I was a boy a UK policeman carried a whistle, notebook and pen, watch and a truncheon.

[@simondobbs4480]

And the truncheon was hidden in a special pocket so as to not intimidate.

[@Aoife24601]

....and he said "evening all"...🤣🤣

[@gillcawthorn7572]

And he sometimes rode on a bicycle

[@carolineb3527]

And if he caught us scrumping he'd give us a clip round the ear and walk us home to our mothers. In my case at least if I then moaned to my mother she'd give me two more clips round the ear, one for scrumping and the other for moaning. I was more scared of her than I was of the bobby. 🤣

[@daveturner6006]

@@simondobbs4480 And the truncheon was possibly one of the most useless things to use in a fight!

[@VillaFanDan92]

I went to New York with my mother in the late 2000s and I remember both of us being lost and my mum being like "I'll ask that policeman for directions" then taking a few steps towards him and seeing his whole kit and demeanor and facial expression and everything and very quickly deciding to go ask someone else lmao

[@jeanlind7540]

I had same experience in New York.

[@daffyduk77]

I did once ask a cop in New York or Boston I think it was) for directions, & after his initial surprise he seemed helpful. That was 40+ years ago.

[@judithkelly2556]

I have asked many a cop in Manhattan and all were helpful

[@Accuratetranslationservices]

That's sad people ask U.S. cops for directions all the time and I've never heard of one being annoyed or not helping.

[@alanjames5586]

"I would rather walk the streets without shoes than not carry a gun". I'd rather send my kids to school and go shopping in the supermarket without fear of getting shot by some maniac who has a semi-automatic weapon solely because its his constitutional right to own one.

[@chrisparsons7043]

Fortunately we don't have a constitution in the UK, we prefer the right to have public firearms BANNED, that way we don't need to look over our shoulder in case some nut-job with a machine gun has suddenly decided to pop out and massacre everyone in a supermarket.

[@asjaosaline5987]

Its quite weird that you dont respect constitutional rights. The whole country is founded on them. Without thouse rights government would be nothing more than occuping force who has power to say what you can do and what not. Counstitution is set of rules where people accept government guidance on some areas and return they get assurances and quarantees of certain rights. If there is no constitution, then people could just say why i need governement why i need to pay taxes why i need to follow some rules, i can govern and manage myself. America is solely founded on freedom people right to be free. COuntry where im from, constitution is more flexible on freedom part, but there is other important guide lines and laws, like COuntry excist to preserve culture language ant ethnicisty of our people and thouse goals are followed by laws/tools to ensure that first points are followed. As in our country we like Democracy and human rights but they are nothing more than tools, if they get ahead of following base laws on cinstitution they can be thrown aside. Other wise we could just disolve country and fend everyone for themself. Constitution in America or in my country is that what gives government legimacy. Countys are not just nice place to live, they excist by good will of people and that goodwill can be taken away if government fails to follow constitution. Problem is not that people carry guns, problem is that peoplke are miserable and they use guns for crime. And what makes people in miserable is poverty enforced to them by Robber baron capitalmist. No capitalism is not bad . Bad is That government allows some narrov circle to rob whole nation and . First tool for Robing is inflation ak Bankers abilty to print money and by that decrease value of money what for people are worked hard.

[@reinhard8053]

@@asjaosaline5987 "As in our country we like Democracy and human rights but they are nothing more than tools, if they get ahead of following base laws on cinstitution they can be thrown aside." And that is the difference. In e.g. Germany the constitution has these both values as its heart and the human rights and dignity as the first rule. They are no tools. There are tools to have them respected. But you want your guns and fuck human rights. You democracy is more of a moneycracy. Maybe because of that you see your government mainly as an occupying enemy you want to hold in check.

[@alanjames5586]

@@asjaosaline5987 I respect constitutional rights the same as anyone. I do however question the constitutional right that allows members of the public to weapons, which any right thinking individual would consider to be only available to members of the Armed Forces. The constitution was written 235 years ago to suit the conditions of the time. I somehow doubt that those conditions are extant in 2023. It's quite an alarming statistic that there are more handguns in the USA than there are people.

[@asjaosaline5987]

@@alanjames5586 Main reason for right to carry gun, was safeguard againt government incase it decides to take or hold power un lawfully and force people to submission. If population is armed then who ever leads government must thing twice. Maybe there should more rules about where to get guns, and where you can carry them on peacetime. But take away that right and saying its obselete is not being smart nor right. Maybe should america decide, we will abolish right to carry weapons, thouse stats , citys who dont agree can leave from federation and thouse people who wish to live safe envoierment can move to states where is no public right to carry gun. People seem to think how america was founded, America is techincally punch of rebels who rebelled aginst they overlord. This is core of the america. Next step of america is was forcefully add stats to federation and to avoid next civil war, states were allowed to have some rights addition to constitution that america was founded on. As we know hundreads of years have pass, there was time when stronger was allowed to forcufully occupy and intrigate the weeker country. But today this is wrong, what happens to america when some states decide, they have unlawfully occupied and contracts once made are broken. They might decide, they dont want to be part of federation. Multiple states have history of peaceful movements to be free republic again.

[@PUNKinDRUBLIC72]

I feel safer over here because I've seen your police can be as trigger happy as criminals!

[@gerardflynn7382]

Technically that makes them Criminals especially as they can be held accountable.

[@jasoncallow860]

I was shocked by the comment "at the mercy of the wolves", that's the sort of reaction I'd expect from police from a lawless third world country not a 1st world democracy. How do you deescalate a situation if you are starting with a firearm? I'd happily ask directions from a UK police officer, but I'd be reluctant to do so in the USA; police should be upholder of the values of the community not enforcers. The law is there because we collectively agree that is how we wish to run our society not to keep us under its heel.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

One is a service, one is a force.

[@wessexdruid7598]

Actually, in the US they are PDs.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

@@wessexdruid7598 the police force has numerous departments, but overall its a police force.

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@DomingoDeSantaClara They are all individual departments, of cities and counties, etc - tens of thousands of them. There is no overall 'force' they are part of. That's a major part of the problem in the US.

[@robertlangley1664]

We don’t have a lot in common with the Americans it’s a good job there the pond between us

[@sangfroidian5451]

US cops having a gun is one thing, but they draw them sooo often when there is absolutely no justification for doing so. From personal experience, I am fearful of US cops and comforted by UK cops.

[@justme1111]

Wow, he just referred to the general public as "the wolves" I guess that's the difference between a police service and a police force!

[@colinearnshaw7725]

One is called 'Law Enforcement' the other (UK) is called 'policing by consent'.

[@andyf4292]

in a situation I would actually help a UK policeman without the risk of being shot

[@dorothysimpson2804]

British Police are public servants, they are very helpful. The US Police give off the opposite vibe of danger. I have walked up to three fully armed policemen in London (there had been a terrorist attack) and asked for directions, they were lovely!

[@Accuratetranslationservices]

People ask for directions from cops in the U.S. all the time and they are lovely about it too. They also direct traffic, work fairgrounds and other large public venues, and you can ask them questions like directions and they will be friendly. The reason they have guns is because much of the American general population is armed, so it's necessary. But yeah I can definitely see it might be a culture shock if not used to it.

[@Hairnicks]

I was a UK cop for 18 years, 1975 to 1993. I spent all my career in a traditional uniform and helmet or cap, no body armour of any kind, no firearms, just a wooden truncheon. We were respected and generally loved by our communities and even though I worked in some of the worst housing estates in the UK I never feared for my life although there were a few fights. I depair of our modern police force here, they have lost so much respect and now look intimidating whereas peoiple seldon feared to approach us in my day.

[@A2Z1Two3]

It would appear they have been infiltrated by organised crime in some instances, and not vetting out aggressive power hungry personalities given all the cases we are seeing reported , the Met in special measures, officer murdering and raping . You are well out of it 😮

[@MrShadeUK]

Dont know where you worked but as a current uk police officer i've never met anyone who didnt 'respect' us I have also been thanked countless times and i've always been approached countless times?

[@MH-le8ym]

Thank you for your service as a UK Bobby

[@johnnoakes4790]

You was a copper when they earned respect,unlike the egotistical bullies today.

[@PCDelorian]

@@johnnoakes4790 Statistics suggest that police now are less egotistical and held to much higher standards, the issue is you now see on social media those officers, and we see less bobbies on the beat because there is more responsive policing now, but police conduct has actually improved in recent years.

[@ingobordewick6480]

I would always prefer the UK-cop, but not because of the firearm. I'm from Germany and police here wear guns, but I would prefer them also over US-cops. Why? Because of the amount of training that is needed here to become a cop. 3 years here in Germany, incl. basic law-school.

[@BobbieRockyBuster1415]

Five years (I think) here in the UK

[@daffyduk77]

@@BobbieRockyBuster1415 Maybe 5 yrs "on-the-job" training, but certainly you'd be out as a probationary trainee with an experienced colleague long before that.

[@anthsarin070497]

@Michael Rogers similar to northumbria, your training is also a degree that includes a mixture of on the job and exams, it takes about 2-3 years. You can't even apply to join the police unless you already have a decent level of education.

[@BobbieRockyBuster1415]

@@anthsarin070497 Blyth? Morpeth? Anwick?

[@anthsarin070497]

@Bobbierocksbuster Around that area yeah, I mainly dealt with Tyne Met police but the impression I was given is its the same across the board.

[@nathjmorley7689]

I have never seen a gun on the streets in the uk other than when in an airport or if the armed police are at big events

[@georgebarnes8163]

I have never seen a police officer without a gun here in NI and I have seen a fair few armed police in Scotland and England when I visited.

[@maximiliandegarnerinvonmon6457]

Come to Manchester, more than 50% of police you'll see are armed with "machine" guns. For every 5 police cars, 4 of them you'll see the red sign on the back wind which indicates armed officers.

[@BobbieRockyBuster1415]

Never been to the Untied States of America,got no intention of ever going and I've gotta say give me the UK policeman any day,I've had run ins with the UK coppers and every time they've been brilliant,the last time about 15yrs ago I'd gone through a red light,the police asked me to join them in their car,I was breathalysed and passed,they then said "I could give you a £60 fine and points on your licence but seems you've been polite and understand that we're only doing our job I'll let you off this time",Jesus I would have been shitting myself if I'd been in America,god bless the British police

[@sandraback7809]

I have visited the US a number of times and always felt the police there to be very intimidating. I was always anxious that we might get pulled over for some mistake while driving and then not know the correct way to act😱. Heck, even border officers at immigration were very unfriendly if not just ‘cold’. Here in the UK I would have no problem walking up to any police officer for advice or assistance. I would just like to add that when travelling around US, if we had an issue we found Americans to be very friendly and would go out of their way to help us out👍🏻

[@peterjackson4763]

I was in the US for work and one day driving back to my flat I heard a buzz. I could not understand what it was. There was a police car behind me. I expected that if it wanted me to stop it would drive in front of me, but it didn't. I was going slowly as the road was covered in ice (January in NH). I ulled into the entrance to the flats and he followed me so I stopped. He had wanted me to stop. He was looking for someone driving the same model and colour of car. I had my passport with me so things were sorted out quickly.

[@alangray2976]

I'm from the Scottish countryside, so have seen plenty guns, but only shotguns and air rifles and such, around farms and estates.

[@carelgoodheir692]

I worked as a contractor establishing woodlands for landowners and crofters in the Scottish Highlands. One or two of the jobs had problems with rabbits so I applied for a gun licence. I was checked, told how I needed to store it (locked cabinet), transport it, etc. They agreed to me having a .22 with a scope and told me the scope worried them more than the gun as it could be transferred to a more powerful rifle if it got stolen from me. If it had been a problem with deer I'd have got a more powerful rifle. Getting a firearm in the UK is no problem if you go through the procedures - I fully back these procedures and would not vote for De Santis!!

[@peckelhaze6934]

We have armed police officers. They are very well armed and are called when needed. The standard police wear stab-proof vests not bullet-proof.

[@keithstevenson6892]

UK has Police Service US has Police Force.. One serves the public (and are approachable etc) one doesnt.

[@claregale9011]

We have armed police units that get called out if needed , plus armed police in various locations around London e.g. horse guards , Buckingham Palace, downing Street and airports . Gun crime is practically non existent compared to the u.s.

[@dazza9326]

And Train Stations.

[@baylessnow]

...and airports.

[@kushcloud420]

Let's not pretend gun crime dont exist cos it dose it jus rarely happens

[@claregale9011]

@@kushcloud420 knife crime is more prevelent unfortunately especially in inner cities . My sons a police officer and has had to apprehend a few with machetes and knives .

[@boskee]

@@kushcloud420 "practically non existent" means exactly that - it's sporadic, almost unheard of, unlike in the US where mass shootings happen every week. Of course gun crime still happens, but it's such a rare occurrence that it's "practically non existent".

[@BeckyPoleninja]

Pepper spray is illegal for people to carry in the UK. Police can carry an irritant spray.

[@Carole.P]

We can carry hair spray, which is apparently very nasty when sprayed directly into someone’s eyes, just a heads up.

[@BeckyPoleninja]

@@Carole.P yup, I am UK born and bred

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

I policed in the UK, unarmed. If the law had changed and required police officers to be armed, I would have left immediately. I want to be approachable.

[@tyrantworm7392]

Armed Response is a completely different job to community policing, requiring a different skillset. We are really fortunate to not have the type of firearm proliferation that requires all officers to be armed, and because we don't have the same societal use of firearms it's best that that it's kept that way. Outside of counter-terrorist or breach roles, which absorb specialists and experience from the Forces and a few exceptions, if you are joining the U.K police to use a firearm you aren't the right person for the job.

[@georgebarnes8163]

@@tyrantworm7392 what if you have no choice but be armed?

[@MrShadeUK]

No you are not required to be armed, im an unarmed UK Police Officer, and i have not felt a need to carry a taser which is a choice, and equally have not chose to join armed response which is a specilist unit and still a choice, despite my past military experience.

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

@@MrShadeUK That’s my point. I didn’t want to be armed. If they made it mandatory for police officers to be armed, I would have left the police immediately rather than be forced to carry a firearm.

[@ghevisartor6005]

if you think having just one glock makes you not approachable you are nuts. Here in italy cops and carabinieri have guns and still are super approachable, it's just that they got way more training that US cops.

[@Aoife24601]

We have armed units called when necessary. .i live in Kent.......thats it and it works....WOLVES...YE GODS... we had a firearms incident here in Whitstable Kent..a small fishing town.....2 years ago .a boy was shot in the leg...turned out to be a bb gun...but within about 10 minutes the town was full of armed police in black vans...a helicopter and many non armed police. We were all shocked but mega impressed....and just as quickly as they came....they were gone. They were Kents Armed Division....there when needed ...we are 60 miles from London....our Airports and Royal Palaces etc are sadly patrolled by armed units now, after terrorism, but ordinary Met Police arent armed.Our coppers train for over 3 yeads and cannot join a firearms unit till they have a plethora of experience on the streets. Not sure if you know but US Police have visited the UK to train in de escalation....theres some videos of it on here somewhere.. but US police just dont seem to believe it works. I guess it probably doesnt in some cases...but your lot are also trigger happy and some really do look decidely large....can they actually run...dont they havd regular fitness checks...?

[@normanmart7933]

The us seems to have minimal training compared to Europe, you guys then spend all your budget on compensation for police misconduct.

[@gar6446]

My pet hate with US Cops is Sunglasses. No eye contact, no possibility of empathy Poor communication skills.

[@lulusbackintown1478]

The Police in the UK are trained in de-escalation of a situation. Thats obviously an option if the other person isn't aiming a gun at you but Police regularly deal with people with knives including machetes. If guns are involved an armed unit will be called in. I believe they train with the Army but no doubt someone with greater knowledge than me will respond. Travelling in France our car developed a fault on the motorway, its illegal to breakdown on the motorway. The car limped along until the next exit at which point two Gendarmes appeared and stuck semi automatic rifles in our faces. The children promptly burst into tears and were wailing I want an English policeman. Funny now not at the time.

[@georgebarnes8163]

mostly trained in NI.

[@rocket404]

@@georgebarnes8163county forces train their own officers. they all have refresher training every 4/5 weeks. They also need a higher driving course as well. in responding to the Manchester bombing, Merseyside ARP's were in Manchester just over 20 mins after the call.

[@robertmurray8763]

AGREE. American Police escalate the situation.

[@andyf4292]

@@robertmurray8763 they WANT the war, they want to be the rambo... thats not really for the best

[@katydaniels508]

Just the airport is intimidating to me. I’ve never been more scared in my life

[@Only1janetc]

My son is in the Police in the UK. He primarily joined to help the community rather than to be aggressive with suspected criminals

[@californianreacts]

That's fantastic! I wish all police officers joined for that reason.

[@petersymonds4975]

Hello. The only time I see a policeman, or woman, with a firearm is in London mainline rail stations and airports. I have also seen them at my local airport, Cardiff Wales Airport.. Most police these days wear flat caps. The traditional helmet which had some form of skull protection tends to be used for more ceremonial work. it makes getting in and out of a car easier.

[@jeanlind7540]

UK police don’t want guns. We have little gun crime compared to USA.

[@kimarnill7648]

There is a video about police from around the world reacting to American police. Forgive me but I can’t remember what it was called, but it was very interesting.

[@danhewett6086]

I've just found it, from the New York Times if you type that in along with 'reacting to American police' it should be the first video that comes up

[@philipmason9537]

Of 200 countries less than 20 have police forces that don’t routinely carry firearms including Gt Britain. You WILL see armed police at airports , outside embassies and other “sensitive” locations such as Parliament. There are also armed response squads of course.

[@TrudyBusterKittyMadness]

1999 walked of the plane at JFK and all I saw was armed police thought I had landed in the 7th circle of hell!

[@dirtbikerman1000]

Here in the uk I've seen the armed police in my town. There was a tragic incident where a guy I knew shot his partner close to midnight on boxing day with a 12 bore shotgun at point blank range. This was his legal shotgun. I went to school with the girl, we were friends, luckily she survived and is now fine he took his own life. We were walking home from the pub and about 6-8 fast unmarked police cars pulled up in from of us. All of the police got out of their cars and jumped into two cars with there mp5 machine guns, 10 armed police drove to the scene. Another time in the daytime last year the helicopter was flying above my house. I looked out of the front window and there was loads of armed police on my street walking towards a house where a lad was supposed to have an illegal hand gun and had fired it at someone's house. They are few and far between but these things do happen now and again

[@carelgoodheir692]

The armed responders can be on the scene in minutes in UK cities. The job of the normal, unarmed police then becomes keeping the public away from any danger.

[@chrisellis3797]

I see very little difference in attitude between US police and vigilantes. . Cops in the US don't seem to protect people at all looking at the amount of citizens they kill instead of arresting. I lived in Ohio a couple of yrs and didn't feel comfortable at all, especially when I was pulled over in my car. I've never felt scared to just walk up to a UK cop on a strange town to ask for help/advice on getting somewhere.

[@fergie1014]

My jaw literally dropped when he just opened his chest piece and produced another gun

[@blotski]

To become a police officer in the UK now you can do it one of three ways. 1. Enter after gaining a university degree in any subject and train in two years. 2. Do a degree in Professional policing at a university which takes three years. 3. Do a three year apprenticeship straight from school/college (minimum age 17 to start course) leading to a degree level qualification in Professional Policing. Firearms are only carried by specially trained and accredited firearms officers known as authorised firearms officers (AFOs). Officers undergo rigorous selection and training to become a firearms officer. I don't know if this is up to date but I tried to look up how long it takes to train in the USA and found - "There are around 18,000 police agencies in the US, but with no national standards on training, procedures and timescales vary across the country. On average, US officers spend around 21 weeks training before they are qualified to go on patrol."

[@jca111]

@5:50 'at the mercy of the wolves' tells you everything about that cops attitude to the general public.

[@HereticDuo]

They're so polarized, they aren't 1 people, Americans are at war with themselves. no wonder you are 20 times more likely to be murdered in america then you are in Britain. Less guns make the lives of the people more free, not less. just look at the global freedom index, UK is sitting at a mighty 93 out of 100 where as America is at a mediocre 83.

[@chrisparsons7043]

The difference is, 99% of adults in the US probably own a gun, whereas 99% in the UK don't. The last thing on any Brits mind would be to go and buy a gun....fish n chips and a beer is more important than a gun!

[@jillosler9353]

Because our Police aren't armed the criminals don't feel the need to also be armed. Householders CAN keep firearms at home - but the checks, rules and regulations means that very, very few actually have them. Of course, since the encroachment of terrorists we do have armed officers - but they volunteer for that. I love the fact that our Police are approachable and friendly.

[@daffyduk77]

With 30lbs of extra stuff, the only way a US officer could apprehend an escaping suspect is by shooting them (dead?). "Shot whilst escaping" springs to mind. Then you get all the usual excuses about "I thought he had/was reaching for a gun" etc

[@daveofyorkshire301]

Nobody asks the real questions.... How many times a year do you have a confirmed firearm pointed at you? How many times a year are you shot at? How many times a year have you fired your weapon? How many times a year have you drawn your weapon and pointed it at someone? Why don't they ask these very pertinent questions?

[@moochkin]

I'm from the UK but I can understand the difference in gear as well. As alot of people have easy access to firearms while in the UK we don't so they don't have to face firearms in 99% of instances. For me the most worrying thing seems to be the difference in training between the countries and how things are handled

[@KitsyX]

I don't think it's just access though, it's also attitude... Other countries have guns too, but even other places with high gun ownership don't seem to have quite as big an issue with gun crime... I don't think the availability of guns helps in the US, but there's definitely more going on, in my opinion.

[@HereticDuo]

having gun control means the average person is more free too, not less. Just look at the global freedom index. Uk is 10 points higher at 93 compared to American pretty poor 83. That puts Americans on the same level as South Koreans.

[@TychoCelchu]

The US cops clearly had a completely different mindset. That “at the mercy of the wolves” comment suggests that he sees all of the public as a threat. I looked up the stats. The most recent I found was from 2020. In the UK over the last 150 years there was a total of 240 police officers killed in the line of duty, and 110 civilians killed by police. By contrast, every single year the US averages 160 police officers killed, and 1000 civilians killed by police. Showing that unarmed policing in the UK is far from “at the mercy of the wolves”.

[@vincentscott3558]

I wonder if the USA cop was told there are just 3.3 firearms (majority of which are shotguns used for clay pigeon shooting, or handguns in shooting clubs) per 100 people in the UK if he'd feel safer being a cop over here? In the USA there are 130 firearms per 100 people, it is mad to police people without a gun there

[@greensam7074]

I think the difference is this…….. the American police are kitted out, ready to go to war with the American public and a take no prisoners attitude, whereas, the British police are kitted out, to “interact & restrain if necessary” the British public, with the sole intention of keeping the peace, with as little use of force as possible. America and Americans in general, are on a “war footing” 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and it’s a sad, scary place, looking on from the outside. Not a place I’d ever want to live in, or see my children brought up in. Scotland is heaven, compared to America

[@dogmadogma5398]

It's guns. Guns is why. Of thousands of people, I know 1 legal UK gun holder. In the US of thousands, at least hundreds are armed, probably thousands!

[@robertadavies4236]

The core founding principle of British policing is known as "policing by consent". The idea is that police are citizens, and citizens are police. Every normal citizen is assumed to have an interest in law and order. A police officer is simply someone paid to spend their working time doing what any citizen would do if they could. American police forces evolved from a combination of vigilantes and private security. From the beginning, they had more of an "us versus them" mentality, the idea that the public is a potentially dangerous mob to be controlled. This leads to a guiding principle of policing being imposed on the public rather than arising by their consent.

[@douglasmcclelland]

Asking a US cop if they would police London without a tazer or a gun is not a valid question because the countries are so different and this is not taken into account. They are so conditioned about the way it is in the US with potentially anyone / everyone having a gun, and many probably do, that for them, going unarmed is suicide. In the UK it is completely different. Most people in the UK never ever think about guns, they simply don't exist in their everyday lives. Most everyday criminals in the UK don't have guns, especially not in smaller towns and cities so the threat from guns is a fraction of that in the US.

[@archonwarrior9146]

I mean, i can understand that US police HAS to be equipped like they would be going into a warzone as statistically every single person they meet has at least one firearm and can engage a fight any second. In GB less than 4% of people statistically would have a firearm. "But more guns makes everything more safe" i hear a stereotypical american scream in the distance.

[@coot1925]

It's quite simple. If you live in a country where the public are not allowed to carry firearms then your police officers don't need to carry them. However, if you go into some of the big cities like London you will see officers carrying assault rifles. This is mainly due to the heightened terrorist threat and the odd occasion that there is a firearms incident, but to be honest it's usually criminals fighting other criminals. Discharging your weapon leads to serious and lengthy inquires. It really is the last resort. We don't call our police "law enforcement". ✌️♥️🇬🇧

[@ghevisartor6005]

you have the same knifes attack in london as new york what are you talking about...

[@knowitall3503]

Stats suggest US has a higher murder rate involving knives per capita. Gun deaths are beyond belief in the US - even the police shoot dead on average 1000 civilians a year.

[@whitechocolate072]

This is the difference we have in UK a police service and USA you have a police force. In USA shoot first and ask questions second.

[@legend9335]

Some police officers in the UK carry a long feather whereby they tickle the wrong doer into submission.

[@richardjohnson2026]

The problem with police having guns in a peace time city will scare people off talking to them. The cops will always be scared of people and if you have a gun, then it invites the public to have a gun, then you need a bigger gun, so they get a bigger gun. On and on it goes. The police should be there to help and serve the public and if needed like in hostage or robbery situation then guns should be used. The police need to be better equipped, but chances are the average us citizens will have more and bigger guns

[@Kwstas_Vagias]

When you see a police officer you should feel protected not fearful.

[@JonsTunes]

I'm nearly 50, born and raised in England, travelled around the world and apart from airports I don't think I've ever seen a gun.

[@uniquename111]

I think the guns are the problem to start with and how much guns you are allowed to have. It start with people having a gun then police must have gun, then people must have move guns and now the police must have more to counter that and now you have a full warmachine that is not possible to stop because everybody have guns so everybody are potential dangerious which mean more people get more guns and so it goes. America have a gun problem. And the saying that it is not the gun that is the problem but the person behind it is, in my opinion that is belittle the issue. Because that is why most other countries in the world do have gun laws to restrict and not let it be too easy to get one.

[@51bikerboy]

It wouldn't be half the problem if American police were not so trigger happy.

[@travelledfar]

As with most people this side of the pond, there is a sense of pity, sadness that the police force in the US need to arm themselves to the state of a small army. So much for "the land of the free" eh!? Free of fear?

[@mikewilson8513]

The difference is simple, our (UK) population is unarmed. We are not self obssesed with guns like the US. Our childen can go to school without fear of their brains being blown by a nut job who has legally bought an AR-15 from a supermarket. (sheer lunacy !) Our police do not need to be armed. There are special units obviously who armed to respond to terrorists etc, but police on the beat do not carry firearms. There is no need, and the policemen and women dont want to carry guns. In 2020/21 there were 35 gun deaths in the UK. In the US, about 40,000. See the difference ? Here in the UK, just for possesion of an illegal firearm will cost you 5 years in prison, minimum. And guess what, we like it that way. If Americans think the price for gun ownership is seeing children as young as five being gunned down in school. well fine. Its up to you. We over here regarded it sheer, idiotic lunacy, but hey ho, its your country ! I think we have got it right, dont you ?

[@kratzlaff308]

It's our Constitutional right. Cry about it

[@mikewilson8513]

@@kratzlaff308 My friend, i couldnt give a rats arse. We dont have a firearm problem, you do. And there are plenty of American mothers crying over their children being gun down before they even get to be teenagers. Enjoy your regular high school massacres. After all, it is your constitution right.

[@mikewilson8513]

@@kratzlaff308 I see your "Consitutional Right" reared its ugly head this time in Nashville ! More school children having their brains blown out. 130 massacres already this year ! Still, it is your "Right"

[@lordylou1]

UK police are not routinely armed but there are armed response units. UK police also don't routinely carry tazers. Officers who carry tazers have specialist training in order to carry them. It should also be noted police training is longer in the UK and a great deal of time is spent on de-escalation techniques. The other issue is our tight gun laws. There is a complete ban on handguns and automatic weapons, and gun licencing is very strict. It means over all criminals are not generally armed (with guns), either, however there's the armed response units just in case.

[@karengray662]

The only time I have seen police with guns is when I flew to Paris with my young child to go to Eurodisney. Police with rifles near the bus stop we went to at the airport. I think they could see we were shocked so they smiled & said hello & put us at ease. My immediate thought when seeing them was that something terrible must be happening, are we in danger? As an aside, being the subject of 2 armed raids when I worked as a bank teller, I obviously do not like guns & they provoke an unpleasant reaction. I would never visit U.S.A mostly for that reason

[@kurtsteiner8384]

Not all uk police have tazers some do, it depends if they are trained in it or not. Some uk police have firearms but are normally special unints. They are mostlly special responce fire arms units. At airports hechkler and koch machine guns and a side arm. The other place would be parliamen square in london as an example.

[@californianreacts]

Good to know! I made an assumption that police in the larger cities have tasers (since police here in the US within large cities are completely decked out it seems)

[@stevenbowers4164]

Only 5% of British police officers are authorised to carry firearms, the response officers keep there's in a gunsafe in there vehicle unless authorised by a senior officer to arm up

[@davedavids57]

Yes although they don't seem to have worked out keeping a G36 in a hot metal gun safe in summer is going to course issues (basically they lose all zero). The UK armed police are terrifying they literally have no idea and only get a 200 hour course (on two different guns).

[@RugbyMatters]

1985 at 18yrs I was working in the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina. One night about 2am after a good night drinking we were driving back home from the club in town, I was desperate for a pee so we stopped to let me out. When I finished and jumped in the back of the car a Sheriff's officer turned his top lights on and pulled behind us. Me and the other Brit didnt think anything of it but the 3 American college guys were sitting themselves. The Sheriff officer wanted to know why one of us was walking about the ran back to the car. The Americans just started stuttering and trying to make something up because having a waz in public is really bad never mind in someone's garden. The officer didn't believe what he was being told and started to get frustrated so I shouted from the back of the car, "I just wanted to have a piss". He told me that get out of the car, started to lecture me and got his fine book out. I said "Jesus, all this for a depersate toilet break". Due to my accent he asked where I'm from, I said England and then asked if he had ever heard the kids song " Pull down your pants and fertilise the plants in an English country garden" which I sang in with a West English Country Accent. All the lads started laughing and then the officer so he let me go. This was just a long way of saying from the 1980s at least, all Americans have always been scared of the police and most Brits just see the police as active members of the community working on behalf of us all.

[@deanrolph6912]

One major difference in the UK is if your pulled over the first thing a officer will ask you is to turn the engine off, So you move your hands out of their line of sight and turn the engine off, In the US you will likely be shot if you move your hands out of sight of an officer for a second.

[@knowitall3503]

That's the problem with any Herbert allowed to have a gun thinking they're Billy the Kid, I bet the police are crapping themselves - shoot first then ask questions later. Could be unlucky if you're a tourist in the US.

[@walterwings2222]

Looking at the US kit I think the first aid items are sensible as well as the utility knife. Police are often first responders and these items could save precious seconds in dealing with issues.

[@lilboygthorns7373]

“Have UK police always had tasers?” Take a guess. We’re a much older nation than America, so the answer is obviously not

[@Shythalia]

THEY HAVE A SECONDARY SECRET GUN?????

[@CummyPancakes]

So I grew up in the UK. I've been to the US and been pulled over by a police DUI checkpoint there and the experience is vastly different. Standard Paractice here is to turn off your engine, and stand at the side of the road as a sort of signal that you're not gonna take off. I've been pulled over twice in nearly 20 years in the UK. However when I went to the US I took a road trip from LA to Vegas. Did my usual shtick but was greeted by drawn firearms and a very very irate and angry cop. To me UK policing seems like an extention of a community where as the small interactions I've had with the US police seems like a totally different beast, seemingly living every interaction like somsone is gonna pull a weapon and shoot at them for fun.

[@jimrichards7044]

Sorry.I. could hardly understand a word that first officer said.

[@californianreacts]

Unfortunately the audio of their portion on the original video sounded the same, attempted to fix :(

[@Old_Peepar]

The bigger issue is, would I feel safe if a member of the U.S public walked up to me knowing how prevalent fire arms are owned by any one and everyone. As for the officers comment about facing the Wolves, we just don’t have that violent mind set in the UK, we do have armed Police units for that minority that want to push there luck. 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@Britonbear]

I live in a small town in the UK and about 20 years ago young guy was shot killed by the police; unnecessarily in my opinion. It does happen but is very rare and a million miles away from the American situation.

[@Accuratetranslationservices]

It's very exaggerated overseas the level of danger in the U.S. I have lived in a major U.S. city for 30 years and have never seen anyone get shot or shoot a gun at another person, or even point a gun at another person. Lots of people have guns, yes, but they aren't all running around shooting people. The U.S. does have a problem with gun violence, yes... in comparison to other countries, but it's also a fully functioning country with hundreds of millions of people and very unlikely you will be shot or even see an incident of gun violence. When I went to China people thought this too like "I don't want to go to the U.S. because I don't want to get shot" lol. There are areas of the U.S. that are much worse than others, like parts of Chicago, but even then there are hundreds of thousands of people living there and the chances of being shot are very low.

[@johnlochness]

I’m not sure you can answer “who do you feel more protected by” because each officer is equipped to deal with the society they serve.

[@johnludmon510]

They are equipped to react to the level of threat they face where they police. Gun possession in the UK is very low weather legal or illegal thus when dealing with the general public the police are not going up against an armed person virtually any time in their career. The situation is different in the USA the officers have to assume that everyone they have to deal with is armed thus the level of aggression and gun first attitude.

[@dreadlindwyrm]

I've never been to the US, but as a Brit, I do find it somewhat disconcerting on the few occasions I've walked around a corner to be faced with unexpected armed police. Not frightening, because they're still UK police, and they're still there in a protective role, but enough to put an edge of wariness onto whatever I was doing. Mostly though, even our armed police are stiill relaxed and able to have a laugh and a joke with the public (whilst still keeping their attention on what they're doing, of course). If they're *active* it's different, and they've got a very different attitude, but it's very much "you're not involved? Kindly be somewhere else. Now." rather than hostile. At that point the *not armed* police are probably removing you to several streets away for A Chat, and then sending you out of the area entirely. Even the one time I got stopped by armed officers and given a basic search they were very professional and friendly, given the circumstances. Basically "stop what you're doing, put your stuff down and step away. Right. Now you're not holding the stuff we're worried about, *What on earth is going on?*" No shouting, other than to attract my attention in the first place. Clear instructions from the beginning, and a wiillingness to listen to my response and give me space to comply. None of the "drop it or we shoot" business, no contradictory orders being yelled by different officers.

[@Rokurokubi83]

Tasers are optional. Need to undergo regular training to be licensed to carry as police but many opt out because it’s a dangerous weapon, deployed incorrectly someone could fall and hit their head. Many font want that responsibility. So officers can opt in to carrying tasers but MUST be trained

[@davedavids57]

To be fair the training is a one day course.

[@KefkaLP]

the differences are really crazy to me tbh. I live in germany and most of the time its like in the uk, the offices don´t have any weapons with them and most of the time (for referenz I work close to a more aggressiv neighborhood some break ins and such where i had to judge the dmg to the it infrastrukture. so i have some contact with them) they are just like every other person. Christmas two years ago there were some threats concerning attacks on christmas markets and the officers had to gear up to protect those places, that was the first time I got to see them with weapons (not sure if it was a full kit but it ranged from smgs and side arms to some sort of granates). Not gonna lie that felt so wierd and somehow like they didn´t belong to our society anymore. I can only guess how civillians in the us most feel.

[@SierraKilo76]

I happen to live in Germany, too. Don't like to break the news for you, but police here is armed. They have, when on patrol, of course, their sidearm on them and normally an MP5 machine pistole locked away in their vehicle.

[@bakersmileyface]

Great Britain (I'm usuing Britain because North Ireland police carry firearms) has it's fair share of idiots just like the US does. The difference is that the chances of them getting guns in Britain are slim to none. Even criminals have to be smart to get their hands on guns in Britain and they're smart enough not to use them on police officers. The idiots might be dangerous, but they're not likely to be lethal and even if they're carrying a bladed weapon, you can just pepper spray and run away or use numbers to suppress the suspect. As a consequence our police officers don't have that constant fear of losing their lives. It allows them to de-escalate properly, remain calm, collected and think about the safety of others. And of course it means they mostly don't carry firearms or pose a risk to the people they're supposed to protect. Like that English police officer said; it's a different environment. I doubt a GB police officer would want to go into US streets without a firearm either and I'm sure if that US police officer came to Britain he'd see how peaceful it is, he'd probably agree to police without a firearm here too. A firearm is overkill for the overwhelming majority of encounters a police officer will have in GB.

[@dbc330]

I think you should re-title this How does GB Police Equipment compare to US Cops? Only some Great Britain police are armed, most are not. All Northern Ireland police are permanently armed UK = GB + NI. Try searching for Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)

[@oneki]

Did he just call the public "wolves"? wow... this is the difference between "Policing by consent" in the UK and "policing by Force" in the USA.

[@enemde3025]

The TASER is not standard issue for UK police. You have to be trained to use it, IF you WANT to carry one. It's YOUR choice if you want to carry one.

[@TheBigk1964]

It has to be said that this video was a propaganda job by the journalist from LBC! Now I'm a fan of LBC, but not Mr Ferarro(I think that's! his name)! We do NOT have the same gun violence that America does. In fact no country has!

[@SierraKilo76]

I have nothing but the highest respect for UK Police Officers doing their job unarmed. On the other hand, when I was still a student, someone crazy stormed into a school in the neighboring town. Armed. Police got called to scene and the officers arriving first were regular cops. No time to wait for SWAT, they had to go in and solve the situation. 2017: An immigrant in Munich shots a bouncer in the face killing him and shooting into the crowed with a M16 (and this is really an assault rifle) injuring 3 more severe. The first two officers on scene where regular patrol officers. The gun man opened fire on the officers as soon as they arrived. They had to return fire immediately. The shooter got hit, suffered deadly wounds and died shortly after in the hospital. During the firefight one officer got shot in the head, which he survived thanks to his military grade ballistic helmet. Again a situation where nobody could wait for SWAT or otherwise specially trained officers - not even in a city like Munich, where additional police forces are never far away. Long stories short: I like my police force to be well trained and well equipped - including (a) firearm(s). PS: I am from Germany.

[@daviddavis7710]

I retired to rural France from the UK in 2015. I own a Swiss Shepherd bitch called Tiko who's very sweet and everyone likes to stroke her. I was buying fruit and vegetables from a market stall which just happened to be close to the gendarmerie. A couple of female gendarmes joined the queue behind me and bent down to stroke the dog. I was surprised to see that each one of them was packing an automatic pistol.

[@sp0nge1337]

31y.o. British here. Only once in my life have I ever seen an armed police officer in person. He was standing guard with an MP5 at Leicester train station when I was coming back from university. Scared the shit out of me.

[@lindagonzalez5059]

Compare? That's exactly the american problem! You've gotta have a bigger gun and bigger big. The right question is why can Europe manage without?

[@darrellpowell6042]

The UK police force is trained for 2500 hours to graduation. For US police its 500 hours to graduation. Also gun culture is at least 90% of Brits don't own or want a gun. The Us gun culture means at least 90% of US citizens have a gun.

[@captainzac24]

I see lots of people saying British cops are much friendlier than American cops. I cant say much to that having never been to the USA but I can say we once asked a BTP firearms officer what gun he was using cos it looked like an M4 which isnt used over here and he quite cheerfully told it was a lewis gun ( lewis machine tools CQB carbine to be exact) he only seemed kinda happy to have quick chat

[@alexadamson9959]

We do have what we call “firearms officers.” And their equipment is the exact same as the American loadout. They also keep and MP5 in the boot of the car. (boot = trunk.)

[@gsyguy1]

The difference is the UK has Gun Control ,the USA doesn't, and even though the UK make weapons there are no politicians lobbying for the general public to ARM themselves against the invisible threat or protection ,infact in the UK a Gun at home is usually for sport or a collection that most NONE of the guns can actually work but are just show pieces and the fact semi auto and full guns are banned ... and before people shout and scream my home had GUNS but when my parents stopped the sport they were doing the guns went ...

[@MH-le8ym]

I am from the UK. It even freaks me out to see armed police officer's at airports because it wasn't like that in the past. When I watch the "Democracy Now" show, it sounds like some innocent BLACK person is killed everyday by the police because of some 'suspicious' behaviour. I would never return to the states now and I am not black because I fear the gun crime there.

[@SindreValle]

The biggest difference is not the weapons, but rather the laws and education. I can't speak for UK but in Norway police is minimum a bachleor degree. And the laws gives a police officer far more tools to do his job. And with the much more educated and professional police comes more respect for their job among civilians.

[@daves3893]

Going to the US is no different to the police in the rest of Europe. We have armed police in the Uk it just depends on the situation. There are armed patrol cars in every city in the Uk. They turn up when needed. I approached some Officers in Kentwood Michigan, they were great, There were not a bit intimidating, I guess it's how you approach them.

[@christinegothard2776]

I do find American police officers very intimidating as I’m from the UK, in the Uk I wouldn’t hesitate to ask a police officer for directions. But in the USA I would hesitate to do so.

[@iallso1]

Every time I speak with a police officer here in New Zealand they ask about my body worn camera, (they don't have them at this time). However the tasers carried do have a camera built in, and one officer told me she often pulled the taser just to record footage of the incident.

[@silvertail7131]

Obviously, here in the UK we do have firearms divisions, I worked in a building above where a group was stationed, saw their kit a few times, intimidating. But here if you see an officer with a lethal weapon, and they're not in training... then something really bad must be going down. That being said, hard to blame the officers of America wanting to be armed. While it's possible to aquire guns here, it's not as easy, or as unrestricted. Very much seen as a huge responsibility to be in the possession of something so easily and readily deadly. I remember seeing some pretty, sobering officer death statistics between the countries. I forget when it was, to the ratios might not be correct anymore, but it suggested some years the US had ten times the number of officer deaths, than we have had since 2010. Would not want to be an officer in the states, good way to die young.