[simonh]

Here in the UK many government agencies have investigation and enforcement responsibilities and personnel, but they are 'civilians'. There just isn't any expectation that these people are ever likely to get into a situation where they might need to be armed or ever even encounter someone who is armed. If they got into a potentially dangerous situation they'd run a mile and call the police.

The situation is a bit different in some places in continental Europe. Building security at several offices I visited in Italy were armed and when I first encountered that I found that quite shocking, but firearms are generally more available and of course they have a particular problem with organized crime.

[pjc50]

Yes, European police are more likely to be armed. Italy has its Carabinieri as a national-level armed police in addition to a separate set of regular police.

The key to UK policing's low violence rate compared to the US is, bluntly, that people care when members of the public are shot by police. It's regarded as a failure of the alternative methods. Whereas in the US people go beyond merely defending the police into practically cheering the street execution of a "criminal".

[andygates]

Also strict gun control. It's the single most effective population-scale de-escalation technique.

The UK has plenty of police violence -- a (disappointingly) high rate of tasering for compliance (where previously we'd see a bit of truncheon action). We just don't kill 'em because they're not going to be killing us.

[autotypo]

Department of Homeland Security is equivalent to Carabinieri.

[lostboys67]

Even MI5 get the police to actually make arrests - there are a few other organisations are armed the Nuke police and I suspect MI5 and MI6 must have PPW.

[simonh]

>I suspect MI5 and MI6 must have PPW

I very much doubt it, they're civilians. Why would they need to be armed?