PARIS (AP) — One was a young policewoman, unarmed on the outskirts of Paris and felled by an assault rifle. Her partner, also without weapons, could do nothing to stop the gunman. Another was a first responder with a service gun, rushing to the Charlie Hebdo offices where a pair of masked men with high-powered weapons had opened fire on an editorial meeting. Among their primary targets: the armed police bodyguard inside the room.

With the deaths of the three French officers during three days of terror in the Paris region and the suggestion of a plot in Belgium to kill police, European law enforcement agencies are rethinking how — and how many — police should be armed.

Scotland Yard said Sunday it was increasing the deployment of officers allowed to carry firearms in Britain, where many cling to the image of the unarmed "bobby." In Belgium, where officials say a terror network was plotting to attack police, officers are again permitted to take their service weapons home.

On Monday, French law enforcement officials demanding heavier weapons, protective gear and a bolstered intelligence apparatus met with top officials from the Interior Ministry. An official with the ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing talks, said automatic weapons and heavier bulletproof vests were on the table.

Among the most horrific images from the Paris attacks was the death of police officer Ahmed Merabet, who can be seen on eyewitness video lying wounded on the pavement as a gunman approaches and fires a final bullet into his head. Merabet, who is seen alone on the street, had a service gun and a bullet proof vest, said Michel Thooris, of the France Police labor union.

"But he did not come with the backup he needed, and the psychology to face a paramilitary assault," Thooris said. "We were not prepared in terms of equipment or mind-set for this kind of operation."

One of the attackers, Amedy Coulibaly, said in a posthumous video that his plan all along was to attack police.

"We don't want necessarily the arms that American police have. We need weapons that can respond," said Philippe Capon of French police union UNSA.

Among those weapons, he added, are modernized criminal databases, because the current databases are out of date, and firewalled between different law enforcement branches. "The databases are not interactive. They are not accessible to all. They are not up to date," he said.

Unlike their British counterparts, French national police are armed although their municipal counterparts tend to be weaponless. But Thooris said they are not permitted to have their service weapons while off duty, raising the possibility that they could be targeted when vulnerable or unable to help if they stumble across crime afterhours.

Because of increasing unease and last week's anti-terror raids, police in Belgium are again allowed to carry weapons home rather than put their handguns and munition in specialized lockers.

"The conditions we have now are clearly exceptional," said Fons Bastiaenssens, a police spokesman in Antwerp, where there are many potential targets, especially in the Jewish quarter.

In addition, firearms suddenly became far more visible, with some police carrying heavier weaponry as they guard sensitive buildings and police offices, and paratroopers in the streets of the major cities.

In Britain, the overall threat level is "severe" — meaning intelligence and police officials have evidence that a terrorist attack is highly likely. The threat to police officers themselves is judged to be very high after the Paris attacks as well as the recent disruption of a reported Islamist extremist plot to attack individual police officers in west London.

In response, the Metropolitan Police said Sunday it is bolstering the deployment of specialist firearms officers who are authorized to carry weapons. The force, also known as Scotland Yard, declined to provide details, and senior police officials say there is no need for a wholesale policy shift that would arm all police.

But Mark Rowley, chief of the counter-terror operation, said the "overall security posture" of the police is being reviewed in light of the Paris attacks.

In Norway, where far-right fanatic Anders Behring Breivik killed 69 people in a shooting spree at a political youth camp and eight others by bombing a government office, police are increasingly agitating for weapons.

"We have seen from the declarations of Coulibaly and also from what happened in Belgium that police can be primary targets for terrorist groups," said Nicolas Comte, of the SGP police union in France. "We have to give the means to police services, and notably intelligence, to fight this new form of terrorism."



Looks like the Europeans are beginning to militarize their police.

I PRAY TO GOD THAT THEY DON'T SHOULDER A SIG BRACE AND RUN AFOUL OF THEIR VERSION OF THE ATF.

"We need to arm our cops like Americans, but don't want to because that's what the Americans do."

Are we to understand that the average ARFCOMMER is more heavily armed than Euro police? Who knew?!

Perhaps they should consider allowing their citizens to arm and protect themselves

A rifle or shotgun in the truck and a G19 on your side and you are as armed as most US cops.



 

That's dangerous for their "leaders".  There is a history.



 

Boo Hoo Hoo! Cry me a river with ultra-lib fake tears...

Play the stupid anti-gun role, win stupid anti-gun awards: Like not being able to defuse a situation before it escalates into a full blown murderous rampage or Hostage scenario.

That's the idea

It's good to see the French making a strong commitment to "out gun" the terrorists.  

Maybe we found a buyer for all of our old MRAPS?

Maybe he just means that he doesn't want French cops saddled with the retarded pump shotgun that has been ubiquitous to US law enforcement for so long, and instead wants modern autoloading rifles.  

Perish the thought.









 

They should dust off their Chauchat machine guns........that will get them!!

How about for civilians?

Is it OK for European civilians to go unarmed and defenseless against an attack??

FBHO

FESAGCMF
(fuck european socialist anti-gun communist mother fuckers)

Everyone should have guns.

This anti gun nonsense only works when you're not getting shot at or don't have to worry about getting shot at.






 

Well, being UNARMED is working real well for them , aint it??!!??!!

How about THEIR police being non-militarized?   Worked out well for rm huh???

Im against police needing every officer to have full out SWAT gear or mentality, but come on Frenchie, your heads gotta be somewhere!!!!!

The British Bobby did not need a gun back in the day.
He would blow his whistle and armed citizens would rush to his aid "The Hue and Cry" as it was known.
Read Sherlock Holmes and the author mentions Dr. Watson slipping a revolver into his pocket as he left the apartment, this was not some writers fantasy, it was very common at the time.
Of course once the people are disarmed...

Not terrorists.  I'd be happy to give them some bullets free of charge though.

 

I wish to contribute to your campaign for public office.

 

Go to Bing and search the terms "French disaster WWI" without quotes.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Shotguns are considered barbaric amongst many euro LE  

So they use  MP5s instead



 

Someone on here was saying the French version of the Chauchat wasn't that bad.  True or BS?

 

Used to be a guy that showed up at all the MG shoots with one

as long as it was clean and oiled it worked well , till it blew up and shot its bolt into my buddies side



 

I've heard that the caliber change really turned them into turds but they were halfway decent before that. Not great but OK.

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FTFY

American weapons can be so much scarier than French weapons....we don't want scary American "dindu" killing weapons.

Part of what they need to do is get away from the "Poodle Shooter" sidearms..... the .32/.380 class of Pistol was one thing post war (And pre-war)...but in today's world it just doesnt cut it.

 

And how different would it have turned out if they were?

OH TEH NOES! TEH MILITARIZATION OF THE FROG POPO!!!!!!

I've never heard anyone call them barbaric.

They are ridiculously impractical though, which is why they're not usually issued.

Which European police services issue anything smaller than 9x19 as standard these days?

Our cops gave them up decades ago.

Jack of all trades, master of none.  Well, except for shooting birds.

 

If they had those two simple and cheap arms and the TRAINING then they could have done something. It seems training is what he alluded to as well as weapons. The poor cop charged head on at two guys with Ak47s body armor and training and was mowed down..he had no chance....and his buddies couldn't or didn't know how to help. The cluster at the Jewish market was also eye opening as far as training is concerned.

Is there a source associated with that article OP?

Hmm......

The "average" Arfcommer is more heavily armed than many small town police departments

Even our Canadian members are more heavily armed that Euro-Cops.  And their Canadians.

The French had an ideal weapon half a century ago - the MAT49, a subgun that folds up to fit into a belt pouch.

Majority of Euro Cops that I met are armed with SMGs. They view American Cops with Shotguns as barbaric.

I'd venture a guess and say that the average arfcomer is better armed tan most European police DEPTS.

 

was always under the impression it was a historical stigma left over from the Germans in WWI abhorring them



 

The WWI story about the Germans isn't really relevant. Most cops haven't heard it, it seems to be better known in the US.

Shotguns are simply considered obsolete and impractical for anything but less lethal.

Precisely.

The eurowennies think we are all cowboys.

From the AP news feed.  Google the title it should take you there

Nothing puts bad guys down at close range as well as buckshot.

It probably has a lot more to do with the fact that the shotgun has serious limitations as an antipersonnel weapon, and rifles and SMGs are much better suited for the task.

Buckshot is pretty good.  The weapons that shoot it aren't nearly as good as modern autoloading rifles.

Or the part were automatic weapons are "on the table".  Just exactly what kind of armaments do they think regular US police have?