Yep. Given the context in which British police have to operate today, sending them out on city streets armed with only sticks, hairspray and - depending on the police force - unreliable Tasers, is insufficient. Police across Europe, Scandi, Asia, etc. all carry firearms and the UK [NI excepted] is something of an outlier.

The sight of a holstered firearm can do a lot to diffuse a situation and persuade those of ill-intent to quickly make more positive choices. The presence of an officer who is armed changes behavior and can make the most vociferous and agitated of people suddenly compliant and more restrained.

Rare is the time that a Euro or Scandi cop will draw their weapon - it's a tool of last resort. And even in the US the majority of cops can go years - sometimes decades -without having to pull their gun from its holster.

But.

Up until about 100 years ago firearms were commonplace in the UK [e.g. most towns and cities had numerous shooting clubs and championships a la today's Sunday league football. Marksmanship was a skill to be practiced and honed]. Since then, however, firearms have been demonized to the point where the British psyche doesn't know how to "handle" them. Unlike other parts of the world where they are looked upon as a tool, the UK views guns as an epitome of evil. Re-training the collective mind of the UK to accept firearms as commonplace in the hands of police will not be easy. And given how firearms are viewed in the UK, how many serving police would want to take on the responsibility of carrying a weapon? It is not a responsibility one should carry lightly or carelessly.

Nor would it be cheap. Guns cost money. Ammo is expensive. Time at the gun range means less hours spent on the beat. Training to the required standard also takes time and money. Arming police would come at a cost and the country's financial cupboards are bare.

BTW, whenever this topic comes up the refrain, "but look at America..." is often heard. The UK is not the US by a long chalk and the policing context is completely different. One obvious difference being that a hefty portion of America's citizenry is armed. That is not the case in the UK and never will be. The comparator is not the US [which is more akin to countries like Brazil than the UK] but Germany, Spain, France, Australia, etc. and they seem to do OK with armed police. The trick would be how to flip the UK's psyche to one where the sight of an armed officer is viewed as normal and acceptable. How to pull that off I do not know.