Posted on 10/22/2014 1:50:01 PM PDT by marktwain
I do not know where the above picture was taken. I recall that I saw many empty holsters on police in Panama at shift change. The practice was that the police did not keep a pistol with them; they were issued one at work, and turned it in at the end of the shift. I vaguely recall seeing a banana or plantain in a couple of them.
I understand that Mexican police generally keep their firearms with them, but several other countries in Central and South America have the same policy as I saw in Panama. Police in Panama might not take kindly to having their picture taken. One of my friends sketched the local palace guard during the Noriega regime, and ended up in a Panamanian jail for a week before we could get him out.
I am curious if this practice is seen much in Europe, Asia, or Africa.
I much prefer the American practice of the police having their own personal arms. It is likely to increase their proficiency. Many stalwart defenders of second amendment rights have been police, or spent a career as police. They are a valuable part of the gun culture in the United States.
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Disarmed or unarmed? There is a difference.
Nice try! I’ve traveled A LOT through S. and Central America. Most cops are armed!
Especially in countries like Colombia and El Salvador it is important for police (and regular folks) to be armed at home as there are threats against them other than during business hours. A clean policeman may have threats from gangs, corrupt police, and others all at the same time.
There is the old “plata o plomo” threat (take the SILVER or get the LEAD). So governments organize groups of “untouchables” to move around to different jurisdictions but the problem is persistent since a cartel may offer a policeman a year’s salary as a down payment.
I am in the Philippines. Same thing here. Most if not all off duty cops, check the handgun in before leaving work. I have seen so many in uniform on train and metro rail stations, in uniform on the way to or from work with an empty holster.
You would rarely see a police officer in Australia with an empty holster - but you will see quite a few who have neither a weapon or holster because the holsters are issued with the firearms. At least up until recently - in my state at least, it’s just become policy (with our recent elevation of our terrorist alert state) for police in uniform to be armed at all times - before that, quite often they wouldn’t carry firearms if they were on non-patrol/response duties.
I’ve seen reports (I haven’t checked into them) that suggests that the first police on the scene at the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996 were unarmed and that might have turned out quite differently if that hadn’t been the case. It was a peaceful rural area and the local police didn’t see the need to be armed.
Police here are issued with firearms at the start of shifts and return them at the end of shifts. Police can get permission to carry a personal firearm when off duty (I’m not sure of the exact conditions on that), but historically very few have done this. I suspect that may have changed more recently. But that would be separate from their service firearms.
I have heard that many Latin American armies store their rifles with the bolts removed and stored elsewhere, to cut down the number of coups.
“Disarmed or unarmed? There is a difference.”
They have been disarmed by their departments.
“Nice try! I’ve traveled A LOT through S. and Central America. Most cops are armed!”
Yes, but did you see any empty holsters at shift change? I saw plenty.
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