British police say permanently armed officers are patrolling crime-blighted London neighbourhoods, a major change in United Kingdom law enforcement.
London’s police department said on Friday that a new unit is operating in a district of north London riven by gun battles between rival drug gangs, and other areas that have suffered a wave of gangland shootings.
British police have never routinely carried firearms on patrol.
Guns are usually handled only by dedicated teams of police marksmen.
Chief Inspector Neil Sharman said the new unit would allow London police to take ”a more proactive approach to deal with weapons on our streets”.
But some lawmakers have criticised the change, saying the tactic could exacerbate the use of firearms by criminals. — Sapa-AP