I've heard that UK police do not carry weapons, and I do think it's accurate.

But there are two things at play here, I think:
1) Extraordinary times;
2) It applies to uniformed police.

Here, and in the U.S., I've never seen a cop without a gun. And in the U.S. especially, many look like fortresses on legs.


>I thought there was less police violence in the U.K. because there the police did NOT carry weapons. Has that changed or were we misinformed in the states?
>
>>Paranoid? The police got their man?
>>
>>A man wearing a thick coat at a London subway station Friday was shot to death by police.
>>
>>http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2005/07/22/184636.html
>>
>>Things to consider if you ride London public transportation:
>>
>>1. Do not wear thick coats in London.
>>2. Do not wear a backpack.
>>3. Do not have black hair.
>>4. Do not have dark skin.
>>5. You should be able to speak and understand English.
>>6. Be sure that you have no hearing impairment.
>>
>>
>>I mention that last item as in San Francisco the police shot to death a 12-year-old boy for walking down the street. An officer told him to stop and he did not. He had just exited a bus and was walking towards his home, which was a few steps away. He was deaf and had no way to know that he was going to be killed for walking.
>>
>>Getting back to London... It is indeed sad that someone is shot to death for apparently wearing a thick coat. I can understand the paranoia felt by the community. This is what can happen when fear rules our lives. It can happen anywhere. I fear that this episode has only begun between terrorists and the public service sector against the general public. The difference is when the public service sector kills an innocent person it is done to protect the community.
>>
>>People will differ with his/her opinion about the incident this morning in the London subway. Rationalizations will include it was deserved. Anyone who wears a thick jacket in 70 degree weather deserves to be shot! Well, come to San Francisco and you will see thousands of people doing such a thing in the downtown area.
>>
>>How do we protect the public as well as the innocent? Anyone can be a victim of a terrorist act as well as an act of violence from the public service sector.