A man with a crossbow was killed by armed police in southeast London on Tuesday morning, a rare occurrence in Britain where most police officers do not carry firearms. In the country, armed police officers are called in as reinforcements as necessary. According to London police, the man who was killed, aged around 30, was threatening to attack residents. He was armed with several weapons, including a crossbow, according to police.
“Local police officers attended to speak” to the man, but after receiving threats, armed officers were called and “quickly” attended the scene. “The man entered the house and a firearm was used,” London police said. Despite the immediate treatment provided, the man died on the spot, according to Scotland Yard, which contacted the “police of the police”.
Very rare use of weapons
According to Seb Adjei-Addoh, a London police chief, police officers use their weapons only “very rarely” and “understand and expect that when they do, their actions will be closely examined”. The UK Home Office recorded 18,395 operations involving armed units in England and Wales in the year ending March 31, 2023.
Only ten intentional uses of firearms against people were recorded, compared to four the previous year. According to the Inquest association, which tracks deaths involving law enforcement, 82 people have been killed by police shootings in England and Wales since 1982.