Traffic police don’t need guns
A recent editorial (“Police regulations need reform,” Aug. 7, page 8), it was suggested that a police officer should carry a gun when performing routine duties, such as issuing tickets, and that another police should accompany them for safety’s sake.
Can those suggestions be put into practice? Before answering, let us consider an imaginary scenario.
Should officer Chang Chia-feng (張家逢) [who was wounded in a cleaver attack on Tuesday last week] carry a pistol in a holster, he would likely not have time to draw his pistol in reaction to a sudden, unexpected attack from suspect Wu Chih-chan (吳志展) — assuming Wu, in a fit of fury, would not be deterred by the sight of Chang carrying a pistol.
Yet suppose Chang responds quickly enough to fire at Wu. The public would be congratulatory if Wu dropped his cleaver after suffering a light injury or condemn his actions if the gunshot were serious or fatal.
It is certain that a change of policy to allow carrying a gun in performing routine tasks would be a difficult decision to make for police authorities.
It is a different story in the US. Whenever police try to issue a speeding ticket or arrest a suspect, they always assume the other party is armed. Hence it is not uncommon to see regular police in possession of tactical gear and high-capacity weapons. The general public lends its support because they know this is the only way to keep law and order.
Compared with many other countries, Taiwan’s street are rather safe. We do not possess guns at home and we are unlikely to be the target of a terrorist attack. In addition, our police officers are generally reluctant to use weapons, subject to the current milieu of our society.
All this suggests that officers when performing routine tasks should carry a baton, stun gun or pepper spray instead of a gun. These options are easier to deploy and officers do not have to hesitate because they are non-lethal.
The suggestion of patrolling in pairs creates the issue of personnel shortage, a problem with no quick answer. However, given the advent of smartphones and GPS, it should not be difficult to deploy police in such a way that help is never far away.
The police should seriously look into Chang’s case and draw lessons from it. In short, police should be equipped with more gear, some of which are mentioned above, and enhance their training to swiftly launch a counterattack against assailants.
Y.H. Tseng
Atlanta, Georgia
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