ABSTRACT

Officers from the Norwegian police were routinely armed with firearms from July 2014 to February 2016 in response to a terror threat. This paper explores the experiences of a sample of officers (N = 16) who were routinely armed during this period. The research took a mixed-methods approach using semi-structured interviews one month before the policy was rescinded. Two key themes emerged. First, officers believed that being routinely armed was advantageous for routine police activities. Officers described that tactical planning had improved as it was no longer necessary to wait for permission to respond with a firearm. The associated tactical freedom triggered an increase in self-belief in their effectiveness and efficiency. Second, officers believed that although officers had observed some behavioural changes when interacting with citizens, over time, citizens became acclimatised to the presence of firearms. These findings provide new empirical evidence relevant to the debate surrounding the implications of permanently arming a routinely unarmed police force.

摘要

从 2014 年 7 月到 2016 年 2 月，挪威警方的警官经常配备枪支，以应对恐怖威胁。本文探讨了一个军官样本（N = 16) 在此期间经常武装的人。该研究采用混合方法，在政策取消前一个月使用半结构化访谈。出现了两个关键主题。首先，警官们认为，日常武装有利于日常警察活动。官员们描述说，战术规划有所改进，因为不再需要等待许可才能使用枪支做出反应。相关的战术自由引发了对其有效性和效率的自信增加。其次，官员们认为，尽管官员在与公民互动时观察到了一些行为变化，但随着时间的推移，公民逐渐适应了枪支的存在。