Scottish police not equipped for fast-moving terror attack, officers warn

Police in Scotland are not equipped to respond to a fast-moving attack such as last week's terrorist incident in London, the leader of rank-and-file officers north of the border has warned.

Calum Steele, head of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), said officers do not have the equipment they need to protect themselves or the public.

There were calls for all officers to be equipped with Tasers and an increase in the number of armed officers in a discussion at the SPF annual conference on Tuesday.

Members discussed an emergency motion on the policing response and readiness of officers in Scotland to deal with the terror threat in light of the recent "brutal and savage murder" of Pc Keith Palmer in the London attack.

They also considered whether officers have sufficient personal protective equipment, including firearms, to be able to protect themselves in the event of a terrorist incident.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Steele said: "The message that came out loud and clear is that police officers do not have the equipment to be able to protect themselves and the public.

"We know that batons don't work, we know that in 40% of cases spray doesn't work, we know that unarmed police officers are not only sent to incidents of knives but also to reports of firearms. That's a disgraceful position to find ourselves in and it's unforgivable.

"The events at Westminster took place in less than 90 seconds and were able to be brought to an end because hundreds of officers were in the vicinity.

"No police force in the world can stop those kind of events, but police should be given the equipment they need to protect themselves and the public if events unfold quickly.

"We don't have anything that would allow us to deal with the immediacy of a very quick attack such as that which unfolded in London."

Muslim convert Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people in an 82-second rampage in Westminster last Wednesday.

Masood drove his car along Westminster Bridge at speed, mowing down pedestrians, and stormed the parliamentary estate armed with two knives.

He was shot dead by armed police after fatally knifing Pc Palmer, 48, in the Palace of Westminster's cobbled forecourt.

During the discussion, Chris Thomson, a member of the SPF West Area Committee, called for a complete review of how officers deal with threats from weapons.

He said: "Now is the time for all officers to have at least a Taser and more divisional firearms officers carrying a handgun.

"It won't stop all attacks but it will be a better defence than we currently have.

"We don't have all the tools to deal with two neds stabbing each other, never mind a terrorist attack like we saw. Our tactics are wrong and out of date."

David Hamilton, vice-chair of the SPF, suggested looking to the Norwegian policing model where all officers are firearms trained and have a gun safely locked away in their car.

He said: "We need to be able to stand up our response quickly and we're totally ill-equipped for that. Yes we can get armed response vehicles out and firearms resources, but that will very, very quickly be depleted and it's not sustainable for a long period of time.

"We need to have more in the bank."

The two-day SPF conference is taking place at the Trump Turnberry Resort in South Ayrshire.

Mr Steele told the conference police officers should have the "full range of equipment to be able to do their jobs".

He said the attack at Westminster took less than 90 seconds, and it would take up to 90 seconds to deploy tactical officers in Scotland.

He said: "This has got to be about more than tactical police responses.

"It's got to be about more than machine guns. It's got to be about more than police officers with ballistic helmets, wearing their balaclavas and carrying out a very dangerous role.

"The terrorist attack in Nice, with the truck, was brought to an end by ordinary armed police officers.

"The terrorist attacks at Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan theatre were brought to an end by tactical firearms officers. There is room for both. You need both."

Senior police officers appeared to reject the calls for all officers to be equipped with Tasers.

Deputy Chief Constable Johnny Gwynne told reporters in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire: "For the avoidance of doubt, we as a command team in Police Scotland pride ourselves in being an unarmed service with the ability to draw on armed capability when we need it.

"We are committed to remaining what looks like an unarmed service, because that's what we believe makes policing work here.

"It is in essence a policing model that works right across the UK and that's what we're committed to.

"Where we need armed capability, we can draw on it at speed and in numbers.

"Bernie (Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins) and his team were able to mobilise at incredible speed last week after the events at Westminster."

Mr Gwynne described the Scottish force as being "match-fit" to deal with events such as those which unfolded in London last week.

Mr Higgins said Tasers should not be looked at "in isolation". The force's ability to respond to every level of threat is the central factor, he said.

He said: "It's not just about Tasers, it's about Police Scotland's ability to mitigate every threat level.

"When we look at the threat level, we assess it throughout the country.

"My firm belief is that the number of officers we have trained in the use of Taser and firearms is proportionate to that level of threat."

• Scottish Police Federation