5 ms·

Where the hell are unarmed police the norm other than the UK and NZ? I lived in NZ for three years and the police still had guns, just locked in the boot of the

Where the hell are unarmed police the norm other than the UK and NZ? I lived in NZ for three years and the police still had guns, just locked in the boot of their cars. Australian cops (lived there for 1 year) had firearms. Unarmed police are pretty rare on this planet. Even Japanese cops carry guns.

indigo945 6y ago
Germany has a force separate from the police to handle parking infractions and things of that sort (Ordnungsamt), and they're not armed. I think this is somewhat common in Europe.
- kelnos 6y ago
  That specific thing is common in the US, too. Parking enforcement, at least in places populous enough to warrant dedicated parking enforcement personnel, usually don't arm their meter maids.
- emptyfile 6y ago
  Giving a ticket to a parked car and to a person(who has to show you his ID) are 2 very different things.
- astura 6y ago
  Having a separate (unarmed) parking enforcement is extremely common in the US as well. They are commonly called "meter maids."
mehrdadn 6y ago
> Where the hell are unarmed police the norm other than the UK and NZ? Here's a sampling. I think not every country is considered in these lists though. Or at least, given there can be multiple police forces in a jurisdiction with only some of them armed, it's not always a clear-cut answer. https://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/10601.jpeg https://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/10601.jpeg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country > In some countries including Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland excepted), Maldives, the police do not carry firearms unless the situation is expected to merit it.
yibg 6y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country#Unarmed_police_forces https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country#... Some island police don't carry firearms, although those aren't really comparable. Also many (most?) street cops in China aren't armed.
banmeagaindan2 6y ago
I always get a chuckle when UK and US media bash the Japanese justice system. English speakers are lucky they don't have to hear the devastating retorts the Japanese would be able to make back - they must be falling off their chairs laughing at the kind of reporting the BBC and Vox make on them.

indigo945 6y ago

Germany has a force separate from the police to handle parking infractions and things of that sort (Ordnungsamt), and they're not armed. I think this is somewhat common in Europe.

kelnos 6y ago
That specific thing is common in the US, too. Parking enforcement, at least in places populous enough to warrant dedicated parking enforcement personnel, usually don't arm their meter maids.
emptyfile 6y ago
Giving a ticket to a parked car and to a person(who has to show you his ID) are 2 very different things.
astura 6y ago
Having a separate (unarmed) parking enforcement is extremely common in the US as well. They are commonly called "meter maids."

mehrdadn 6y ago

> Where the hell are unarmed police the norm other than the UK and NZ? Here's a sampling. I think not every country is considered in these lists though. Or at least, given there can be multiple police forces in a jurisdiction with only some of them armed, it's not always a clear-cut answer. https://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/10601.jpeg https://cdn.statcdn.com/Infographic/images/normal/10601.jpeg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country > In some countries including Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland excepted), Maldives, the police do not carry firearms unless the situation is expected to merit it.

yibg 6y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country#Unarmed_police_forces https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_firearm_use_by_country#... Some island police don't carry firearms, although those aren't really comparable. Also many (most?) street cops in China aren't armed.

banmeagaindan2 6y ago

I always get a chuckle when UK and US media bash the Japanese justice system. English speakers are lucky they don't have to hear the devastating retorts the Japanese would be able to make back - they must be falling off their chairs laughing at the kind of reporting the BBC and Vox make on them.