Police in Britain face increasing levels of violence with street crime being higher today than any previous years

Police in Britain face increasing levels of violence with street crime being higher today than any previous years. “The 13% increase in police recorded crime from the previous year reflects a range of factors including continuing improvements to crime recording and genuine increases in crime categories” 1. The exactly number of illegal firearms there are in Britain is unknown, it is estimated to be between 500,000 and a million 2. Therefore, it becomes more relevant that the British police should carry firearms. A police officer has right to protect himself with reasonable force, right?
I will be discussing the reasons for and against whether the police force should be armed and if I will still believe that we should arm the force, as this view has come under very heavy criticism.