Armed police to permanently patrol some London streets
Armed officers placed on routine foot patrol for first time - Telegraph:
A hand-picked team from CO19, the Metropolitan Police’s elite firearms unit, will walk the beat in gun crime hotspots where armed gangs have turned entire estates into “no go” zones.
Local politicians and anti-gun campaigners have reacted with anger at the news that the officers will carry Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns – capable of firing up to 800 rounds-per-minute – and Glock semi-automatic pistols.
So now, one of the defining features of the British police, that they did not routinely carry guns, is being overturned.