Armed police will now only be deployed to life-threatening incidents or those involving firearms, following a review by Scotland’s chief constable.
Sir Stephen House has decided that his 275 officers attached to armed response vehicles will retain their standing authority to carry guns but that they will be not be dispatched to routine incidents.
The appearance of armed police on Scotland’s streets during routine incidents led to a storm of protest in many communities.
Protesters staged a demonstration against the policy when Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill visited Dundee in August.
There were 2,805 firearms deployments across Scotland between April 1 and August 31 the equivalent of more than 150 a day, Police Scotland said.
Some politicians and members of the public have raised concerns about armed officers attending incidents such as road accidents and petty crimes.
Sir Stephen has approved the recommendation of the Armed Policing Monitoring Group (APMG) that the national standing firearms authority be continued, but officers attached to armed response vehicles will now only be deployed to firearms incidents or where there is a threat to life.
Armed officers will still have discretion to intervene if they see a crime in progress in the course of their duties.
The Chief Constable’s decision “took into consideration the concerns voiced by politicians and some members of the public”, Police Scotland said.
A working group has been established to decide whether the carriage of firearms and tasers should be “overt or covert” whether they will carried on display or concealed.
The group will submit a preliminary report to the next meeting of the APMG in January 2015.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Courier or try our digital edition.