First and foremost MY opinion is YES the sooner the better.
I think it is long overdue.
An example was the Westminster bridge killings, when an unarmed policeman, among others injured and killed, on duty at the Palace of Westminster was fatally stabbed.
There have been numerous arguments {for and against} and it's a sorry state of affairs when something like this needs considering, but I have drawn the conclusion that our streets are getting more and more dangerous to walk, the police numbers are forever dwindling, our prisons are already fit to bursting and if nothing is done law and order will eventually break down altogether. You have to fight fire with fire, giving criminals the benefit of the doubt is no longer an option. Sooner or later the government MUST realise that long gone are the Dixon of Dock Green days "It's a fair cop guv" even petty criminals breaking into houses now, some just out of nappies, are armed and most would even kill if confronted mainly due to their drug addled state. Look back at 1999 Tony Martin shot dead an intruder, ever since that day that man has been treat like a leper. Even in 1999 I said "Serves them right" and I backed his actions 100% and I haven't changed my stance on the issue.
Even now the armed response units hands are tied, if they do use deadly force on someone say holding a hostage at gun point, if the perpetrators gun turns out to be a replica/fake the man that fired the shot is in big trouble. The Home Secretary should be made to look at a collection of firearms by the A.R.U. team and be asked to point out the fake from the real weapons, and if HE can't do it how does anyone expect an armed response officer to, especially say at night in a poorly lit street in a life threatening situation, and yet at this moment in time they are expected to.
Tasers.... O.K. in their way they can be classed as a deterrent but it's been proven useless time and again against a fairly big person possibly high on drugs.
It's the same with CCTV why do people throw a wobbler over CCTV. O.k. one might say it's been instrumental in cutting down on police patrolling the streets, but over the years it has boosted the conviction rates for people that would have otherwise gone undetected.
If we are to stop violent tooled up criminals from going unpunished then we have to give the police the weaponry, at the same time untying their hands in order to do their duty. It's not a perfect solution, I'm not saying it is I don't like the idea one bit, but the brutal truth is as a country we cannot afford to slip any further into anarchy.