ABSTRACT
The exercise of police discretion is at its peak when the use of deadly force is contemplated, by whatever means this may be. The abolition of capital punishment in the United Kingdom, officially or in practice, occurred several decades ago and the decision by any police officer to take the life of another, no matter how serious or dreadful the offence which has been committed, is not one to be embarked upon lightly. Shoot-outs were extremely rare until after the Second World War when the proliferation of firearms encouraged criminals to go ‘tooled up’ when committing crimes. Few incidents demonstrate that the police at that time (the immediate post-war period) were generally unarmed and that weapons were only issued when the occasion demanded. The exceptions were police officers engaged on specific protection duties, such as those responsible for guarding embassies and important personages.
