Comment by _bxg1

Beat cops don't need guns. The UK has proven that they can do their jobs without them. Taking them away would not only remove the possibility of inappropriate discharge, I'd bet it would reign in the subconscious power-tripping that so many officers succumb to. When you could shoot somebody and they can't shoot you I imagine you experience a sense of total dominance over them, rather than a working relationship as an officer of the peace.