Jurisprudence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Jurisprudence - Essay Example Keeping in view the most fundamental of the human desires, statutes of prevailing law offer unflinching liberty to the individuals provided the freedom does not challenge the rights of others in such a manner that could place afflictions and tribulations to others. It is therefore national and international laws introduced by the states as well as the UN Charter of human rights vehemently look for the allowing freedom to the people without discrimination. Article 2 of UN Charter, passed by the General Assembly ascertains the freedom of individuals in these words: â€Å"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.†2 In addition, the Charter applies bar on the authorities in respect of treating any group or community with prejudice, and also bans all types of pains and torture s, degradation and slavery altogether.3 In addition, Article 5 (1) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) guarantees individual liberty by stating it to be the fundamental right of every human, where no one shall be deprived of his liberty save in the cases and in accordance with a procedure prescribed by law. Thus, only the criminals, offenders and violators of human rights could be deprived of their right of liberty.4 The statutes of existing laws do not confine human liberty to one specific area or zone only. Rather, they offer complete freedom to humans in respect of speech, action, religious faith and cultural values, employment and recreation, and marriage and sexual orientation as well. British Law of Contract declares a contract to be void provided it restraining a person on his liberty of marriage, parenting and starting or running the business of one’s choice5 provided they do not create any other illegality and irregularity in them. Similarly, the st atute of law does not allow an organisation to exhibit prejudice on the basis of ethno-racial and religious background of the individuals as well as while keeping their gender or sexual orientation in view. It is therefore International Labour Organisation (1960) has made it clear that any distinction, exclusion or preference made on any biased basis, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation.6 Nevertheless, law also enforces restrains on the freedom of individuals in the best interest of society. It is partly due to the very fact that law forbids the individuals to entering into the property of other without seeking his prior permission. Similarly, law restricts the people to get involved into the activities that could put the freedom and benefits of others into jeopardy. There was a time when the principle of might is right used to prevail in all cultures, where a powerful clan or tribe could invade over any we ak neighbour by dint of its power, and could turn its population as their slaves; the Trojan Wars of ancient times also depicted the same.7 It is therefore renowned Gaullish chieftain, warrior and the conqueror of ancient Rome, Brennus had raised the slogan

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 12

History - Essay Example According to this treaty Germany forced to accept sole responsibility for causing the war and to disarm, make substantial territorial concessions and pay heavy reparations to certain countries. Around 132 billion Marks which are roughly equivalent to US$ 385 billion at present were levied upon Germany as the compensation amount which really hurt the Germans. Moreover, this treaty presented for German leaders to sign on May 7, 1919, forced Germany to concede territories to Belgium (Eupen-Malmà ©dy), Czechoslovakia (the Hultschin district), and Poland (Poznan [German: Posen], West Prussia and Upper Silesia)† (Treaty of Versailles, 1919). In short, "The Versailles Treaty system was intended to be a peace agreement between the Allies and a defeated Germany and the Central Powers, instead it created political and economic chaos, contributing directly to the rise of Mussolini and Hitler. This paper briefly analyses the role of The Versailles Treaty system in contributing to the rise of Hitler and Mussolini and the subsequent World War 2. One of the major aims of the peace treaty â€Å"The Treaty of Versailles† in 1919, which ended the World War 1 between Germany and allied forces, was the disarmament of Germany. However, Germans always had a feeling of superiority in their minds. The conditions they succumbed to accept as part of this treaty were intolerable to their pride and superiority feeling. When Hitler came into the power he has taken every step to regain the lost prides of the Germans. He deliberately started to violate the conditions of The Treaty of Versailles. In 1922, Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party succeeded in capturing the power in Italy. Fascism and Nazism have more similarities than differences which helped Hitler and Mussolini to work together against the allied powers. Fascism and Nazism were entirely different from capitalism, communism and democracy. Fascism was driven by a sense of belligerent

Nonmetric Analysis of Jawbones for Sex Determination

Nonmetric Analysis of Jawbones for Sex Determination ABSTRACT AIMS OBJECTIVES Mandible is the strongest, largest, hardest most durable bone of the skull which retains its shape better than other bones in forensic study and exhibiting high degree of sexual dimorphism. To study the nonmetric characteristics of mandible such as the variations of shape of chin, lower border of mandible and shape of coronoid process and to distinguish between males and females. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The material for this study comprised of 90 dry adult human mandibles of known sex which was obtained from Department of Anatomy. The characteristic feature that allowed the sexes to be distinguished was the contour of the lower border of mandible, shape of the chin and shape of coronoid process bilaterally. RESULTS: Rocker-shaped mandibles predominated in males (58.9%), whereas most females (41.1%) exhibited a straight mandible. The shape of the chin in most males was generally Bilobate (45.5%), Square (43.6%), whereas the chin in females was Pointed (71.4%).Shapes of coronoid process observed were Triangular (41.1%), Rounded (31.1%), and Hook in (27.8%) with p value CONCLUSION: The nonmetric analysis of mandible used in this study could be used for sex determination. Key words: Forensic anthropological, Mandible, Non metric characteristics sex determination. Introduction In forensic investigation identifying the human remains is thought to be a first step is crucial for futher analysis.1 The sex determination in human skeleton is usually the initial step in the identification process as subsequent methods for age and stature estimation are sex dependent. The accuracy of sex determination depends on the completeness of the remains and the degree of sexual dimorphism inherent in the population.2 When the complete adult skeleton is available for analysis sex can be determined up to hundred percent (100%) accuracy, but in cases of fragmented bones which are usually found in mass disasters, obtaining cent percent (100%) accuracy in sex determination is difficult and it largely depends on the available fragmented bones of skeleton.1, 2 As evident from the earlier studies, the most dimorphic and easily distinguish portion of skeleton among sexes after pelvis is skull, providing accuracy up to 92%.1 But in cases where intact skull is not found, in sex determination mandible may play a vital role, as it is the most durable, largest, strongest , and dimorphic bone of skull.1-4 Mandible is very durable part of skull bone due to the presence of a dense layer of compact bone, and hence remains well preserved than many other bones. The shape and size of mandible reflects the dimorphism characteristics.1 Female bones are generally smaller and less robust than male bones.2 This characteristic feature of mandible helps in sex and age determination in medico legal cases. In anthropological excavations, the morphometric features of the mandible aid to determine the sex, age, food habits and race of the population and also helps to understand the cave dweller / human evolution.5 The relative development such as size, strength, and angulation of the muscles of mastication is known to influence the expression of mandibular dimorphism as masticatory forces exerted are different for males and females.6 The shape of the mandible can vary according to the different lifestyles and chewing habits .7Therefore, the morphological characteristics of the mandible vary among different ethnic groups. There are several causes of differences in the shape of the mandible between the sexes8. The shape and size of the mandible appear to differ between the sexes from the development of the deciduous tooth. Also, the size of the masticatory muscles and mandible appear to differ between males and females before birth9. The size of the ramus differs between males and females according to the stage of mandibular development and muscle growth.10,11 Furthermore, the mandible have different rate of growth in males and females.12,13 Because puberty occurs earlier in females than in males, sexual differences may manifest themselves in the skull and jaws of females earlier than in the later and longer maturing males.14 For the determination of the of males and females mandible many attempts have been made wi th help of metric standards.15-17 However, metric methods have their disadvantages by their requirement of a complete mandible. Using nonmetric methods, Bass18 found that the shape of the chin could be used to distinguish between males and females. In addition, Loth and Henneberg 19 in his reported cases showed that there is a large difference in the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡exure of the ramal posterior border during male and female Africans that can be used to differentiate the sexes with 99% reliability. In addition, it was reported that there are discrete differences in the gonial à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡aring of the mandible between the sexes20. In this study we investigated the criteria that can be used to differentiate between males and females by using the non-metric characteristics of mandible such as variation of contour of lower border of mandible, shape of the chin and variation in shape of coronoid process in mandibles. MATERIALS AND METHOD The present study was undertaken on 90 dry adult, complete, undamaged human mandibles of known sex from the collection of Anatomy department. Out of 90 mandibles 53 were of males and 37 of females and were examined for the variations shape of lower border, shape of the chin and shape of coronoid process of both the left and right side of the mandible. The shape of the chin was classified according to the thickness of the mandible in front of and beneath the chin, the proà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ le of the chin according to amount of protrusion of the chin observed from the side, the contour of the lower border of the mandible was classified according to the depth of the antegonial notch, variations in the shape of the coronoid process in right and left sides of adult bones of both sexes were noted and tabulated. The nonmetric items observed in this study is as follows: 1. The contour of the lower border of the mandible (fig 1) Straight/rocker/undulating 2. The shape of the chin (fig 1) Bilobate/square/pointed 3 Coronoid process of mandible (fig 1) Hooked, rounded and triangular INCULSION CRITERIA: well-formed mandible EXCULSION CRITERIA: Fractured, deformed, bony growths of Coronoid process [osteochondroma] were excluded from the study. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test p value of 0.05 was obtained which showed that this study was statistically significant. RESULTS: Rocker-shaped mandibles predominated in males (58.9%), whereas most females (41.1%) exhibited a straight mandible. The shape of the chin in most males was generally Bilobate (45.5%), Square (43.6%), and Pointed (10.9%), whereas the chin in females was either Square (8.6%) or Bilobated (20.0%) Pointed (71.4%).Shapes of coronoid process observed were Triangular (41.1%), Rounded (31.1%), and Hook in (27.8%) with p value Discussion Differentiating features of males from females and the differences in ethnic groups by analyzing the morphological characteristics of bone is important in the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ eld of physical and forensic anthropology. Sound bone is difà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cult to obtain because the quality of bone deteriorates over time due to factors such as environment-induced erosion. In sex determination examination of the pelvic bone is the most accurate means, but this bone is rarely found intact. Skull is most easily distinguishing portion of the skeleton as a part of the skull mandible shares its own characteristics. The mandible is the strongest and largest bone in the human body and persists in a well-preserved state longer than any other bone. Hence mandibular characteristics are significantly useful for determining sex and race. The shape of the chin and the lower border of the mandible had a different shape between males and females in the present study. The shape of the chin is used widely to distinguish between the sexes, because the male chin is usually bilobate /square whereas the female chin is more pointed. Similar observations were made in the present study; specifically, 90.7% of males had either a bilobate or square chin, whereas 72.2% of females had a pointed chin. However, while the shape of the chin is more distinctive in males than in females, sex determination based only on the shape of the chin is not sufà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ciently reliable. The characteristic that was the most distinguishable between the sexes in this study was the shape of the lower border of the mandible. The lower borders of mandibles from males tended to be rocker shaped (58.9%), whereas lower borders of mandibles from females tended to be straight (41.1%) (Table1). Therefore, the shape of the lower border of the mandible may be used as a reliable index for sex determination. However, we believe that using only this characteristic is not sufà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ciently reliable for sex determination; instead, evaluating both the shape of the chin and the shape of the lower border of the mandible improve the precision of sex determination. When these two items were combined, 90.7% of males exhibited the characteristics of male mandibles (a bilobate or square chin and a rocker-shaped lower border of the mandible), whereas 77.2% of females exhibited the characteristics of female mandibles (a pointed chin and a straight lower border of the mandible, (Table3). Fe w males (9.3%) had a pointed chin and a straight lower border, which are characteristics of females, while 27.7% of the females exhibited mandibular characteristics that were characteristic of males (Table 3). Therefore, the probability of assigning the incorrect sex to a mandible when examining both the shape of the chin and the shape of the lower border of the mandible is very low. Moreover, the shape of the chin is the most distinctive characteristic in males (90.7%), whereas the lower border of the mandible is the most distinctive characteristic in females (77.2%). Therefore, we can determine the sex using the following two-step approach. During the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst step in determining sex based on the characteristics of the mandible, if the lower border of the mandible is rocker shaped, it is likely to be the mandible of a male, but if the lower border is straight, it is likely to be the mandible of a female; during the second step, if the chin of the mandible that has a straigh t lower border is bilobate/square, it is likely to be the mandible of a male whereas pointed and straight is likely to be of female. Shapes of coronoid process observed were Triangular (41.1%),Rounded (31.1%), and Hook in (27.8%) where Triangular and hook shape had slight male predilection and triangular and rounded had slight more of female predilection(Table 4).Issac B21reported in a study of 157 mandibles incidence of hook shaped was 27.4%, triangular 49% and rounded type 23.6%.He found the incidence of the rounded type almost equal in male and female mandibles, triangular type slightly more in the females, while hook type more in the male mandibles. Comparing with Issac B the incidence of hook type was closely similar to the present study, but triangular and rounded shape incidence observed was more in males and so the findings did not coincide with the author. CONCULSION The differences between the sexes and among ethnic groups the morphological characteristics of the mandible are determined by the environment and different growth patterns. Therefore, males and females can be distinguished based on the shapes of various parts of the mandible. We found that the simultaneous use of the shape of the lower border of the mandible and the shape of the chin is the best method of predicting sex with a rate of accuracy that is higher than 90% and the morphological variation of shapes of coronoid .Triangular shape of coronoid process is the most common presentation .Incidence of Triangular, Rounded and Hook shape were found more in the in male bones compared to female bones. The above findings could be of substantial significance for the anatomist, anthropologist and forensic researchers.

Barbara Andersons First Fieldwork Essay example -- Barbara Anderson A

Barbara Anderson's First Fieldwork Prà ©cis: â€Å"First Fieldwork† 1. Where did Barbara Anderson’s fieldwork take place and what was the goal of her research? Barbara Anderson’s fieldwork took place in the fishing village of Taarnby, Denmark on the island of Amager in the Oresund in the 50’s. The goal of her research was to publish the unseen side of fieldwork. She wanted to share the personal and professional sides of fieldwork with the reader. She went to the island to help her husband study culture change. 2. Who accompanied Anderson to her field site? Barbara Anderson’s husband (Thor), her daughter (Katie; 5yrs old), and Anderson’s unborn child (Sarah) accompanied her to her field site. 3. Why was Anderson’s incompetence with language and household skills both a problem and a blessing for her work in Taarnby? Anderson’s incompetence with language and household problems were due to the translation and understanding of a new culture. Barbara’s confusion of flour with sugar caused her meat loaf to be a disaster. The two words were very similar in Denmark. She also failed to understand the use of a timer. Her incompetence was a blessing because it showed she couldn’t be a threat to the community. The chief pilot’s wife, who had eluded attempts of an interview, agreed to one and also offered personal cooking lessons. 4. Explain how Barbara became â€Å"immersed† in Danish culture in the bathhouse. Due to her lack of the language she had to unknowingly â€Å"div...

Democracy in the uk Essay

I love reading romance tragedy books. Firstly it gives me the opportunity to identify love; how love growths, what specific element bring the personas close and attached emotionally. Furthermore it gives in-depth information about love and the aspects of love, this is interesting because love is part of everyday life and a lot of people can relate to it which makes it relatable. Secondly the readers (I) feels inclusive and as well as learn from it in order to prevent the mistakes made by the characters in  the book, or to Improve relationships which will benefits me and also it makes the story appealing and interesting. Thirdly reading a romance book is a really great to relax and escape from the day-to-day world. In addition, I paint a picture which helps me create an image in my head which almost seem like I am watching a movie this makes the book very intruding and makes me yearn to read more. There are certain types of genres that I don’t enjoy reading such as fantasies this is because it is unrealistic as it a paint an unrealistic imagine  which doesn’t make the book relatable and most often it discouraging as the readers do not feel inclusive. I would certainly prefer it if it was mixed with a different genre for example romance etc†¦ However it may suitable for people who wants to escape from the real world and have an adventurous reading. For instance children. I enjoy writing when I am depressed or confused this is because it gives me the sense of relief as I get to express my feelings, thoughts and  decision this helps me ease stress all the stress as it doesn’t became a barding so by having this relief I tend to a solution any problem I’m going through. Reading helps me to explore different thing so by this I read almost every day for example newspaper on my way to college, I have an hour 15mintes journey. Reading keep me awake and rejuvenated as I get to read about different this that’s going on in the world and celebrate gossips etc†¦ this helps me to be ready and prepared for my lessons as  my brain helps my brain stay active. I am reading novels I stopped during exams session ‘vampire beach’ and the following novel is called ‘ritual and legacy’ I am very intrude to read this book because I enjoyed reading the other novels as it meets to my expectations and the genre of the book is also about romance, supernatural and seduction which makes it very interesting as there’s different stories in the book because of the riveting, variety of themes as the reader don’t get fatigue.

Should the English Police Use Firearms

Should the English police carry and use firearms? This essay explores the debate whether the English police carry and use firearms? It is a debate that has been a focal point in the public, policing agency, government and political arenas since the formation of the police. The English police are well known for their ‘unarmed’ tactic of policing and are only a few police forces worldwide that do so. It was this model of policing that Sir Robert Peel tried to distill from when he first formed the Metropolitan Police back in 1829, which as England as a country keeps to its traditions.However, due to increase in gun crime and terrorist attacks it is perhaps maybe time that the English police force kept up with an ever sophisticated and armed criminal/terrorist. In this essay the main themes I will focus on will be the background of the police, British models of policing, for and against armed response and the level of gun crime in the UK. The term ‘police’ deriv ed from the Greek word ‘politeia’ meaning government or state. ‘Police’ refers to a social institution that most modern societies have to ensure social control.In modern society there is an ideological assumption that the police are a fundamental part of social control and without them there would be chaos (Reiner 2000, p1), however not every society has existed with a formal police force. The role of the police in its efforts for the control of crime and maintaining order is one that has changed through history and is an area of great debate in their effectiveness and the functions the police have in modern society.The police in modern society are called upon routinely to perform a wide range of tasks from public reassurance to terrorism and respond to emergencies, critical incidents and crises, many with an element of social conflict (Grieve et al. 2007, p19). A state run police organisation is a modern form of ‘policing’ (Reiner 2000,p2), ho wever ‘policing’ is a different idea to that of the ‘police’. Understanding the function and role of the police requires consideration to the ideology of policing.The concept of policing can be defined as ‘the function of maintaining social control in society’ (Reiner 2000, p3). Policing can be carried out by an array of people and techniques of which the modern idea of the police is one. The police as a specialised institution of social control are seen as a product of the division of labour in modern societies and can be distinguished from other types of policing by their ability to use legitimate force.In modern democracy the police are both the symbolic ‘front’ of the state’s authority and responsible for the protecting individual and collective freedoms (Neyroud & Beckley 2008, p21). In the UK policing is seen to be ‘by consent’ rather than a state run military model, thus its success is dependent on public co-operation and approval than fear (Grieve et. al 2007, p19). The English police force is only a number of police forces in the world were firearms are not routinely carried by all officers.It has kept in accordance to when they were first formed in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, after the Metropolitan Police Act was passed by parliament. Upon the forming of on Metropolitan police force (1829), Sir Robert Peel’s intention was that the police’s role was for the prevention of crime. Efforts were made so that the new police did not look like soldiers, where Sir Robert Peel tried to avoid accusations of setting up a continental system of ‘agents’ like the French model of policing.The police weaponry was limited to a wooden truncheon, though cutlasses were available for emergencies and for patrolling dangerous beats and inspectors and above could carry pocket pistols (Emsley 1996, p26). The decision not to arm the Metropolitan Police in 1829 was intentional. The us e of force used by the police was only to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient.The aim was to convey ‘civilian’ status (a citizen in uniform), distancing the police from the military. Sir Robert Peel in his model of the Metropolitan police implemented that the police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.The days of the ‘local bobby on the beat’ and that of a civilian in clothing seemed to be a past time view of the police force by the 1960s. A new system of policing emerged, encouraged by the Home Office, which saw the number of officers on foot and put more into cars. This new system of policing was called ‘unit beat patrol’ (UBP), together with personal radios issued to all officers to enable quicker responses and cover more area (Newburn 2008, p91). This new ystem of policing intended to improve policing and police-community relations, yet it was seen to have the adverse effects. The UBP saw changes not only to the style of policing but also the image, as Chiball (1977) described it: ‘The â€Å"British bobby’’ was recast as the tough, dashing, formidable (but still brave and honest) â€Å"Crime-Buster† (cited in Newburn 2008, p91). However, the most notably change was the model of policing, it had seemed that the original ‘democratic’ model had been replaced by a ‘military’ model of policing.A new trend of hard-liner policing of political and industrial conflict emerged as serious disorder develop in England in the 1970s to 1980s. New fo rces within the police force were developed, specially trained, readily mobile to cope with riots with the formation of The Metropolitan Police Special Patrol Group in 1965. This was a mobile reserve, developed with a paramilitary role in dealing with public order and terrorism (Reiner 2000, p67). All forces produced similar units which were trained in riot control and use of firearms.The military model of policing was ever present during the miners’ strikes of the 1980s, where the police now using centrally co-ordinated police operations and officers were now routinely using riot shields, helmets with visors and long batons in public disorders and riots. The use of force by the police had reached new levels as police used new tactics to ‘disperse and/or incapacitate’ protestors, outlined from the Tactical Options Manual approved by the Home Secretary in 1983 (Emsley 1996, p184).Plastic bullets and CS gas were more commonly deployed and even used in public disord er and riots with the showing of a police force more readily and willing to use excessive force against the public. However, it was common for complaints to be made regarding excessive force by the police but only to be dismissed due to the structure of the complaints system and the legitimacy issues in accountability of the police of use of force.It is evident that the use of force by the police over time has increased and also changed as has the model of policing, tactics, technology and weaponry available to the police. However, what weapons are available to the police and how they use is a topic of public concern and often political controversy. The legal use of force, the Criminal Justice Act 1967 section 3, states the ‘any person may use such force as is a reasonable in the circumstances’ for the lawful purposes. Article 2 of the European Convention amends this provision to equire that the use of lethal force by police officers should be necessary and proportionat e (Newburn 2008, p468). With the emergence of guns more readily available and used by the police, it is only necessary that such overseeing bodies like The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are formed. Established in 1942, the ACPO function is an independent professionally led body with the aim of centralising the development of policing strategies as a whole (Grieve 2007, p27).In the ‘Manual of Guidance on the Management, Command and Deployment of Armed Officers (2010) the guidelines for using lethal force are as stated in Article 4: ‘Law enforcement officials, in carrying out their duty, shall, as far as possible, apply nonviolent means before resorting to the use of firearms. They may use force and firearms only if other means remain ineffective or without any promise of achieving intended results’†¦Article 5 states: ‘Exercise and restraint in such use and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and legitimate objective achieved ’.Consequently, in the UK, police officers are given the discretion to determine if the suspect poses a threat to the police officer or the public as PACE does not actually define what is ‘reasonable force’. In the pursuit of these suspects, police officers are given the power to use deadly force through probable cause of harm. The courts decide whether the use of deadly force is justified or not and in some cases, police officers are charged because their use of deadly force is considered to be unjustifiable. Hence, there is a very thin line separating the justification of the use of deadly force from an act that is unjustified.The ethical and moral dilemma of police officers therefore rests not only on the regulations of their agency but on their analytical and ethical decision. In 2008/09, there were 6,868 authorised firearms officers within the police force which was made up of 136,365 (Home Office, 2010). This is a small minority of police officers who are t rained and authorised to use firearms but when considering that the English police are seen as an ‘unarmed’ force, these numbers are quite high. A debate of great concern for the public but also crime agencies and political arenas, is whether English police officers should carry and use firearms?The increasing use of guns by criminals and gun related deaths to both the public and English police officers has been a catalyst for supporters in the carrying and use of firearms by police officers. The 1960s was seen as the turning point in the arming of police officers as in Shepard’s Bush, London, three plain clothed police officers were shot dead (Newburn 2008, p473). This incident prompted the creation of the Metropolitan Police’s ‘D11’ which trained officers on firearms. However, even with the creation and training of police armed response teams such methods proved inadequate to deal with incidents like the Hungerford massacre.Michael Ryan beca me Britain’s first spree killer (Squires & Kennison 2010 p77), when he killed 16 people. The Thames Valley Police Tactical Arms Firearms team was 40 miles away and took an hour and forty minutes to assemble; this resulted in the debate about the effectiveness of having specific armed response teams and not a general armed police force that could deal with situations more effectively and quicker. In outlining the history of the UK police force Neyroud & Beckley (2008) argues that the baton-days prior 1980s was not enough to protect public safety against criminals.He cites the case of the Hungerford Shootings and the Thames Valley Police Force where an armed man killed two persons and injured one after a random shooting. The police force was heavily criticised because of the length of time it took for the police officers to respond to calls. The police was also criticised because the police use of firearms was largely focused on protecting the safety of the officers and on prev enting fatal shootings, instead of focusing on public safety. Since then, the public expectations of the police and the use of force has been a dilemma for the UK police.Following the shootings, there was a call for more aggressive approach to enforcing the law. Is the use of deadly force justified? For the Thames Valley Police it is justified because it protects not only the police officers but also public security (Neyroud & Beckley, 2008, p253). Security threats cannot be allowed in a society since they affect the confidence of the public on the police. In the terms of consequentialism, shooting a person who is out to massacre innocent is justified because the death of the criminal would mean sparing the lives of many others, restoring the peace and order needed by the society to properly function.The arming of police officers routinely could be considered a small step, as police officers are routinely armed already in a variety of situations, e. g. at airports and when providing security for political leaders or institutions. Already rapid-response units of armed officers are available to deal with armed criminals, but these need to be specially summoned and authorised which consumes time and lead to being ineffective in the situation. Armed police can be seen to reassure law-abiding citizens at a time when gun-related crime is increasing in most European countries and parts of North America.Much public opinion holds that something must be done to tackle this. People may feel safer when they see armed police, especially if they perceive them as a response to a heightened risk. Thus, for example, police officers at British airports and places government buildings routinely carry guns after recent terrorist attacks on England. Just as quickly as incidents brought about a feeling of approving by many of the carrying and use of firearms with deaths of police officers and public, it brought about incidents that gave the disapproval.Having armed police response may have its benefits when dealing with armed and dangerous criminals or terrorist threats; however the problem faced by armed police officers is knowing how much of a threat that suspect really poses and if they are correctly identified as carrying firearms or even the correct suspect. A notably example of these problems faced by armed response police, was the Harry Stanley shooting in 1999. The police received a call that a man believed to be Irish was armed with a shotgun and an armed response team was dispatched to deal with the situation.Upon arriving at the pub the armed response team shouted to Mr Stanley and as he turned the officers took this action as an aim at them with the suspected gun and in response shot him dead. It was revealed that Harry Stewart was in fact carrying a wooden chair leg and posed no threat at all to police officers or the public. However, it was not only the wrongful killing of Harry Stuart that was scrutinised but the events of the incident told by the police officers as it did not match forensic evidence (Squires & Kennison 2010, p172).A similar incident again highlighted the problems faced with armed police officers, the shooting of Jeans Charles de Menezes in 2005. Two weeks after the London bombings, Jean Charles de Menezes was followed by a surveillance team who had mistaken him for Hussain Osman, a suspected failed suicide bomber from the previous day. As Jean Charles de Menezes boarded a train at Stockwell train station he was confronted by anti-terrorism officers who shot him seven times, certain that he was a suicide bomber (O’Driscoll 2008, p341).Initially, a discernible reluctance to accuse the acting officers of any wrongdoing. On the contrary, there was a general acceptance that their actions were both defensible and consistent with Metropolitan Police procedures for dealing with suspected suicide bombers. Viewed in this light, the shooting of Menezes was an unfortunate mistake, but nothing more. The war on terror, it is claimed, presents a novel form of war that necessitates (and therefore legitimates) a robust engagement from the relevant security forces (O’Driscoll 2008, p342).Yet this simple formulation overlooks the possibility that it was the very conditions of the war on terror that gave rise to the circumstances where such a ‘mistake’ could occur. Police violence, according to Box (1983), tends to increase in proportion to the elite’s fear of disorder, and the more fearful the elite, the more likely they are to tolerate illegal violence against potentially dangerous groups (Belur 2010, p323). Thus, in societies with extremely unequal social structures, such as those in some Latin American countries, the fate of the socially marginal is regarded with indifference by the state and the middle-class public alike.Even in strong democracies like the United Kingdom, Jefferson (1990) found that dehumanization and demonization of dissident and marginal groups seek to construct an ‘authoritarian consensus’ among the ‘respectable majority’, which allows them and the government to authorize or condone certain coercive measures (cited Belur 2010, p324). For the debate whether English police officers should carry and use firearms, it is important to look at the statistics of gun crime in England as an indication on the severity of the problem for a justification.There has been a dramatic rise in the ‘street gang’ culture within the UK, characterised by illegal gun ownership and violence (Caddick & Porter 2011, p1). A new wave of gun crime has contributed to the so called ‘gun culture’ that many of the UK’s youths participate in, despite a background of increasingly restrictive legislations and better policy responses. There were 53 fatal police shootings between 1990 and 2011 (Inquest 2011). The figures for fatal shootings might be deemed ‘low’, however the police in Eng land have an international reputation for being ‘unarmed’.Overall, there were 19,951 police operations in 2008/09 in which a firearm was authorised. The overall level of gun crime in England and Wales is very low – less than 0. 5% of all recorded crime. In 2007/8 there were 9,865 offences in England and Wales in which firearms (excluding air weapons) were reportedly used, a 2% increase on the previous year. In 2007/8 there were 455 firearm offences in which there was a fatal or serious injury, 3% lower than in 2006/07. 6. 8% of all homicides committed during 2007/08 involved the use of firearms, down from 7. 8% in 2006/07 (Home Office (2010).Sir Robert Peel back in 1829, formed the Metropolitan Police with the aim to convey ‘civilian’ status (a citizen in uniform), distancing the police from the military. Sir Robert Peel in his model of the Metropolitan police implemented that the police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public t hat gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.There have been a number of major changes to the police force as well as in technology and weaponry which is certainly a necessary solution to new problems faced by the police from criminals. However, there is a reason why as early as 1829, English police officers have remained unarmed. Arming the police is an easy way of ignoring the fundamental failures of society. Guns are not a response to crime. What is actually needed is more effort in preventing crime through detective work and policing strategy rather than focussing on responding to it.Nor does arming the police offer a solution to fundamental socio-political issues which contribute to crime. Routinely arming the police is an uneven respons e to gun crime, as it will affect some sections of the community more than others. For example, as certain ethnic groups are often associated with particular types of criminality, police use of firearms will damage police credibility within communities which feel that they are the subject of too much police suspicion. Even if the police believe they are carrying weapons in self-defence, others will view it as an aggressive act.This is a big change, both culturally and practically. The large majority of policemen and women go through their whole career without handling firearms. Even with the special selection measures and intensive training given to the few firearms officers today, mistakes sometimes occur and innocent people are shot, either by mistake because the armed officers are acting on inaccurate information, or because they are bystanders caught in the cross-fire of a shoot-out. Arming all police officers would mean ditching the current stringent selection methods and inevi tably result in less training being rovided, so mistakes would become much more common and more people would be wounded or killed. If the English police officer has managed to last from 1829 from its first formation without carrying and using firearms then it does not need them now. The current responses in place to terrorist and armed criminals in place are sufficient; although not perfect by any means it would be a devastating blow for the people of England tradition and the effects costly. 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