ONCE the guns have been handed in by the people, should Swindon police be authorised to carry them? Phil Davenport, of Wiltshire Police Federation says the issue is open for debate. He hopes he doesn't see the day when all officers are armed, rather than only in areas where gun crime is high.

In my capacity as chairman of the Wiltshire Joint Branch Board of the Police Federation I was recently asked my views on the routine arming of police officers.

My own views, however, cannot be solely centred around incidents which occur in the constabulary's force area.

Over recent months none of us could have failed to acknowledge the growing trend in certain towns and cities whereby gun crime is becoming an all too regular event.

Some forces have responded by having high profile armed patrols walking the streets within those areas. To date, however, in both Swindon and the rest of the county, similar incidents are rarely experienced and the need for armed officers to routinely patrol in Wiltshire has not materialised.

In light of these facts my impression is that in general terms the level and intensity of crime experienced within Swindon and Wiltshire would indicate that police officers in this force may not support the idea of the routinely arming of all officers.

However, that is not to say that the same officers may feel that in other areas of the country such action would be entirely appropriate.

The question relating to the arming of police officers for routine patrol work, as can be seen in many countries around the world, will have to be considered by a large number of people, and not least the views of the public must be considered in any future decision.

Before any decision can be made the police service itself will need to know where it stands on this question.

To consider the views of its members across the whole of the country, the Police Federation of England and Wales has decided that at its annual conference in May this year the matter will be opened to debate. After this the Police Federation may be in a better position to declare how the staff it represents feel on this specific issue.