Over the past 15 years, armed police in Avon and Somerset have discharged their firearms on three separate occasions - one of which was this year.

Latest statistics reveal that the number of incidents necessitating armed officers from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary has declined in the previous year, despite a general uptick in armed incidents across England and Wales.

Human rights group, Liberty, has urged a reduction in gun usage within the UK to safeguard the most marginalised and "over-policed" communities. Meanwhile, a high-ranking police officer has commended the "professionalism" of armed officers.

In the year leading up to March 2023, the Avon and Somerset Constabulary deployed armed officers for 483 operations. This figure represents a decrease from the preceding year, which witnessed 511 such incidents.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about significant changes in nationwide crime patterns, contributing to a reduction in the number of armed incidents. Prior to the lockdown coming into effect, the year up to March 2020 saw 467 operations in Avon and Somerset.

At a national level, there were 18,395 firearms operations by the year-end of March 31, a marginal rise from the 18,257 incidents the previous year.

Out of these occurrences, police officers intentionally fired their firearms in 10 instances, six more than in the year concluding in March 2022.

Police force areas in West Midlands, Cleveland, and South Wales witnessed the highest numbers of police firearms operations per 100,000 population.

Conversely, Essex, Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall, and Cumbria reported the lowest numbers per 100,000 population.

Liberty's policy and campaigns manager, Emmanuelle Andrews, suggested that the UK was taking a regressive stance on dangerous policing. She stated, "We need to see the use of guns rolled back, rather than increasing its usage or granting the police new powers to utilise different weapons."

The figures also showed a decrease in the number of Avon and Somerset Constabulary officers receiving firearms training. This year saw 90 officers trained, down from 111 the previous year.

National figures recorded a total of 6,651 armed officers by March 2023, a minor reduction from the 6,677 officers the previous year.

Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for armed policing, expressed pride in the fact that firearms were only discharged 10 times.

A Home Office spokesperson stated that making direct comparisons with rates during the pandemic is challenging, but the instances where firearms were intentionally discharged "remains very low". They added, "The use of firearms by the police should always be a last resort, considered only where there is a serious risk to public or police safety