Police firearm use by country
The use of firearms by police forces varies widely across the world, in part due to differences in gun use policy, civilian firearm laws, and recording of police activity. Police may require that officers use warning shots before aiming on-target, officers may need to make verbal warnings before using their firearms, and officers may be prohibited from carrying weapons while performing tasks such as highway patrol where gun use is not expected.
Unarmed police forces
In some countries including Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, Maldives, the police do not carry firearms unless the situation is expected to merit it. A survey conducted in Great Britain in 2004 found that 47% of citizens supported arming all police while 48% were opposed to the idea.Australia
The Australian police forces are monitored by the Australian Institute of Criminology, which has recorded police shooting deaths since 1989. Police in Australia routinely wear firearms which are personally issued to them. All fatal police shootings are subject to a mandatory coronial inquest. A 2013 review by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that 42% of victims of fatal police shootings had a mental illness. A more recent history of deaths by police shootings is tabulated below.| 2000/1 | 2001/2 | 2002/3 | 2003/4 | 2004/5 | 2005/6 | 2006/7 | 2007/8 | 2008/9 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | |
| People killed | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 4 |
Austria
are monitored by the Austrian Interior Ministry. Since 2006 the records of police firearm use have been expanded to show whether or not a round was targeted at people.| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| Rounds discharged | 133 | 105 | 172 | 177 | 143 | 121 | 147 | 107 | 120 | 111 | 74 | 81 |
| Rounds targeted at people | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Minor injuries | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Major injuries | 6 | 3 | - | 14 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| People killed | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Data reported on by Heute
Denmark
Since 1965 all Danish police officers have carried a police pistol when performing their duties. Danish police used Walther PPK 7.65 mm as the standard pistol until 2000, and then the Heckler & Koch USP 9 mm was introduced. In 2008 police began to carry pepper spray in addition to their firearm.The appropriate use of firearms is described in the Act on Police Activities regulations, section 16 and 17 is translated into English in.
In Denmark the police use of weapons is recorded by the police department. The police department classifies tear gas as the use of a firearm. In 2006 the death of four people by police shootings prompted an investigation into the use of firearms by the Danish police force from 1996 to 2006. The investigation found no significant trends of increased firearms use by the police.
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| Cases of firearm use | 222 | 276 | 196 | 216 | 234 | 242 | 269 | 305 | 269 | 243 | 253 |
| Reports of shots fired | 15 | 18 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 22 | 17 | 10 | 18 | 15 | 20 |
| Reports of shots aimed at civilians | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| People hit | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| People wounded | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| People killed | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
More recent figures have been published separately in a different format.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Cases of firearm use | 361 | 305 | 277 | 260 | 323 | 315 |
| Rounds discharged | 32 | 39 | 86 | 49 | 58 | 53 |
| Warning shots | 11 | 6 | 49 | 6 | 12 | 17 |
Finland
have access to weapons including a Glock 17, Heckler & Koch MP5, Taser and pepper spray. The use of firearms is recorded by the Police College and the Finnish ministry of the Interior.| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Incidents firearms were used | 39 | 26 | 36 | 27 | 41 | 44 | 32 | 40 | 34 | 39 | 27 |
| Firearm was threatened | 31 | 23 | 25 | 20 | 28 | 39 | 30 | 32 | 24 | 33 | 19 |
| Rounds fired | 10 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 48 | 7 | 6 |
| Warning shots | 10 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| People killed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| People wounded | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Data reported on by YLE uutiset
France
are regularly armed, however, there is no official record of how frequently firearms are used. An independent group A Toutes Les Victimes has tracked the number of deaths and injuries by police which have been published in the media since 2005.| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Number of deaths | 6 | 10 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 14 |
| Number of injuries | 3 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Germany
routinely carry weapons. Police firearm statistics dating back to 1996 are available, a summary of recent years is tabulated below.| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Rounds discharged for people | 106 | 115 | 104 | 100 | 133 | 101 |
| Warning shots | 59 | 49 | 54 | 41 | 65 | 48 |
| Rounds which missed people | 10 | 30 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 13 |
| Rounds which hit people | 37 | 36 | 36 | 42 | 46 | 40 |
| Injuries | 23 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 31 | 22 |
| Deaths | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 10 |
Iceland
do not regularly carry firearms. In 2013 the first fatal police shooting took place where one man was killed. As of October 2019 this remains the only fatal police shooting since Iceland became an independent republic in 1944.Ireland
All routinely uniformed officers are unarmed. The strength of the Garda Síochána is approximately 15,000 officers, of which approx. 4,000 are licensed to carry firearms. Uniformed Gardaí wear stab-proof body armour and carry expandable ASP batons, handcuffs and pepper spray.Armed support units include the Regional Support Units and the national Emergency Response Unit, which is comparable to American SWAT or British SCO19 and operates a variety of lethal and non-lethal devices. All Gardaí who train as detectives carry a sidearm, and many plainclothes/undercover officers are also trained and deployed with the use of concealed handguns.
The policy of unarmed police has been in place since 1922, when the Garda's armed predecessor, the Royal Irish Constabulary, was replaced upon the Irish Free State's secession from the United Kingdom.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission investigates complaints made against police by members of the public.
Section 102 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 requires that "the Garda Commissioner refers to the Ombudsman Commission any matter that appears to the Garda Commissioner to indicate that the conduct of a member of the Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person."
The GSOC 5 yearly report provides statistics for the total number of fatalities referred to the GSOC for investigation.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Number of deaths | 13 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 23 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 15 | 13 |
Jamaica
The Jamaica Constabulary Force's use of lethal force has been monitored by Amnesty International. From 1983 to 2000 the Jamaican police force has been reported to kill between 121 and 355 people each year with an average of 171 deaths. A subsequent report by Amnesty USA shows that from 1998 to 2015 between 101 and 307 people were killed each year with an average of 192 deaths. In 2010, the Independent Commission of Investigations was established as an independent oversight body to tackle the frequent use of lethal force by members of the Security Forces. which has made progress towards reducing the problem. A summary of recent years, is tabulated below:| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| 210 | 219 | 258 | 115 | 101 | 111 | 168 |
Japan
Uniformed officers carry sidearms, typically the New Nambu M60 revolver while on duty only. Security Police and Special Assault Team carry semi-automatic pistols and heavier submachine guns and rifles depending on the situation.Netherlands
regularly carry firearms, in every incident where a firearm round hits a person there is an investigation conducted to determine if the use of a firearm was justified. The results of the investigations are made publicly available, the cases for each year are tabulated.Data from firearms use investigations
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Number of incidents | 30 | 33 | 33 | 24 | 30 | 25 | 23 |
| People wounded | 29 | 31 | 31 | 19 | 29 | 24 | 27 |
| People killed | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
New Zealand
The New Zealand Police do not routinely carry sidearms. Under normal circumstances, police in New Zealand carry pepper spray, batons, and Tasers, though all are trained with the Glock 17 pistol and Bushmaster M4 semi-automatic rifle. These firearms are carried in all frontline police vehicles and are available for use should a situation require it. There are times when due to a credible threat, New Zealand's 12 district police commanders have the authority to arm all of their frontline officers. After the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings all frontline police officers throughout the country were instructed by the Police Commissioner to carry guns while on duty.In October 2019, New Zealand's Police Commissioner announced a 6-month trial of Armed Response Teams in three Police districts. The ARTs are specialist armed police personnel who are part of the Armed Offenders Squad. The teams are a minimum of three, in specialised vehicles equipped with tactical options and operate seven days a week.
When force is used a tactical operations report is filed. Use of tactical options is published by the police force.
A summary of tactical options used in 2010–2014 was published in 2015. In 33,198 events over the four-year period, firearms were drawn 1,422 times, resulting in 5 injuries. Tactical operations resulting in fatalities are not recorded in the database.
Since 1916, New Zealand Police have used lethal force 40 times.
Norway
The Norwegian Police Service formerly only carried firearms in response to specific situations, keeping their Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and Heckler & Koch P30 pistols locked in the patrol cars. In early 2019, the NPS started implementing permanent armed carry on officers. The use of firearms is recorded by the police department which publishes detailed statistics on the annual use of firearms. The information presented in the 2014 report is detailed in the table below.| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Firearm use threatened | 70 | 72 | 67 | 52 | 75 | 65 | 55 | 58 | 75 | 66 | 58 | 58 | 42 |
| Rounds discharged | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 71 | 73 | 72 | 55 | 78 | 65 | 57 | 61 | 81 | 67 | 61 | 61 | 44 |
| People killed | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| People wounded | 1 | - | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Incidents of armed police | - | - | - | 2666 | - | - | 2170 | 2358 | - | 2711 | - | - | 2954 |
South Africa
The South African Police Service is monitored by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate which releases an annual report on the performance indicators of police activity. The IPID publishes deaths as a results of police action and deaths in police custody. Use of firearms forms the majority of the killings by police; shootings by police are all classified under deaths as a result of police action.| 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | |
| Firearm related incidents of death | 342 | 317 | 322 | 299 | - | - | - |
| Firearm related deaths | - | 336 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total incidents of death as a result of police action | 431 | 390 | 396 | 366 | 394 | 436 | 387 |
| Total deaths as a result of police action | 485 | 409 | 423 | 400 | 467 | 558 | 440 |
Sweden
The Swedish Police Authority always carry firearms when on public duty. The standard weapon issued to officers is the SIG Sauer P226. The police authority report that normally police will threaten to use their weapon but do not discharge it, this happens about 200 times per year. In a typical year the police shoot 20 warning shots aimed at people or vehicles. An investigation reviewing the use of weapons by police details the firearm use from 2003 to 2014.| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Incidents involving | 11 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 29 | 17 | 13 | 25 |
| Incidents involving | 9 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 32 | 14 | 16 | 14 |
Only the most serious use of violence is counted, if an incident involves both warning shots and shots for effect it is only counted in the shots for effect section.
United Kingdom
Police forces in the United Kingdom are managed by different bodies and thus have different standards for firearms usage. Police in Northern Ireland regularly carry firearms whereas the police in Great Britain do not.England and Wales
The police force in England and Wales do not routinely carry firearms, a 2006 poll of 47,328 members of the Police Federation of England and Wales found that 82% do not want officers to be routinely armed while on duty. The UK Home Office reports annual statistics on the use of firearms by police forces. The use of firearms is recorded by the police department which publishes detailed statistics on the annual use of firearms dating back to 2003. One report published figures for 2003-2013, later years are published individually. While the Home Office monitors the use of police equipment the Independent Police Complaints Commission monitored the fatalities of people due to police contact up to 2016.| 2003/4 | 2004/5 | 2005/6 | 2006/7 | 2007/8 | 2008/9 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | |
| Operations involving armed police | 16,657 | 15,981 | 18,891 | 18,005 | 19,595 | 16,456 | 14,218 | 13,496 | 12,550 | 10,996 | 14,939 | 14,685 | 14,753 |
| Operations involving armed response vehicles | 13,218 | 13,137 | 14,355 | 14,527 | 14,972 | 19,928 | 17,068 | 16,774 | 14,261 | 13,116 | 12,135 | 12,287 | 12,471 |
| Authorised firearms officers | 6,096 | 6,243 | 6,584 | 6,728 | 6,780 | 6,906 | 6,979 | 6,653 | 6,756 | 6,091 | 5,864 | 5,647 | 5,639 |
| Incidents where firearms were discharged | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Incidents of fatalities | - | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| People killed | - | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
In 2017 the Independent Police Complaints Commission was replaced with the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The IOPC publishes the use of firearms in a different format. Reported figures on fatal shootings by police are tabled below.
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | |
| Operations involving armed police | 15,783 | 18,781 | 20,186 |
| Operations involving armed response vehicles | 13,188 | 15,838 | 17,742 |
| Authorised firearms officers | 6,278 | 6,459 | 6,653 |
| Incidents where firearms were discharged | 6 | 8 | 13 |
| Fatal shootings by police | 6 | 2 | 3 |
Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland publish an annual report on the police use of force which lists the frequency that firearms were drawn and fired. However, this report does not list the injuries or deaths resulting from firearms use.| 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | |
| Firearm drawn or pointed | 302 | 360 | 364 | 419 | 265 | 358 | 431 | 499 | 520 |
| Firearm discharged | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Data published by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Scotland
The Police Investigation & Review Commissioner publishes an annual report on assessments of complaints and investigations carried out.| 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | |
| Assessments of police firearms incidents | 21 | 41 | 46 | 66 |
| Investigations of serious injuries following police contact | 3 | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| Investigations of deaths following police contact | 12 | 19 | 4 | 11 |
Data published by the Police Investigation & Review Commissioner.
United States
Generally, all law enforcement officers in the United States are armed with semi-automatic pistols at a minimum. There is no consistent recording of firearms use across all states, some bodies such as the New York Police Department report on firearms discharge. In 2015 NYPD reported a record low of eight deaths as well as fifteen injuries caused by police firearms discharge.The Federal Bureau of Investigation publish the number of justified homicides by law enforcement.
In response to the lack of published data, the organization Campaign Zero launched Mapping Police Violence to collect comprehensive data on people killed by police in the United States. Similarly, the British newspaper The Guardian launched "The Counted" - a program to record the number of fatal police shootings throughout the United States. The Guardian reports that 1,146 people were killed in 2015 and 1,093 people in 2016.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Justifiable homicide | 396 | 401 | 423 | 467 | 450 | 452 | 439 | 443 | 410 |
| Number of deaths | - | - | - | - | - | 1,146 | 1,093 | - | - |
| Number of deaths | - | - | - | - | - | 995 | 963 | 987 | 998 |
| Number of deaths | - | - | - | 1,079 | 1,131 | 1,187 | 1,129 | 1,146 | 1,165 |