Armed Policing Report 2023/24
Armed Policing teams are based across Scotland and are deployed to a wide range of incidents in order to keep people safe.
The below information provides the number of:
- Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs)
- Armed Policing Deployments
- Armed Policing Use of Taser
- Armed Policing Firearm Discharges
This information will be updated on a quarterly basis.
Authorised Firearms Officer (AFO)
Total number of AFOs - 518
The number of AFOs is correct on the day of publication, however can fluctuate on a daily basis due to a variety of factors.
Armed Policing Deployments
2023/24
April 23 - 43
May 23 - 53
June 23 - 48
July 23 - 66
August 23 - 94
September 23 - 79
October 23 - 50
November 23 - 27
December 23 - 45
January 24 - 53
February 24 - 31
March 24 -
Historic Armed Policing – Deployments
2022-23 - 659
2021-22 - 651
2020-21 - 575
2019-20 - 615
2018-19 - 446
2017-18 - 434
2016-17 - 260
2015-16 - 341
Armed Policing - Use of Taser
2023/24
April 23
- Drawn - 1
- Aimed - 2
- Red Dot - 10
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
May 23
- Drawn - 6
- Aimed - 1
- Red Dot - 6
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
June 23
- Drawn - 3
- Aimed - 0
- Red Dot - 12
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
July 23
- Drawn - 14
- Aimed - 1
- Red Dot - 12
- Fired - 1
- Drive Stun - 0
August 23
- Drawn - 5
- Aimed - 1
- Red Dot - 8
- Fired - 1
- Drive Stun - 0
September 23
- Drawn - 4
- Aimed - 1
- Red Dot - 7
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
October 23
- Drawn - 1
- Aimed - 3
- Red Dot - 8
- Fired - 1
- Drive Stun - 0
November 23
- Drawn - 7
- Aimed - 2
- Red Dot - 8
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
December 23
- Drawn - 7
- Aimed - 0
- Red Dot - 12
- Fired - 2
- Drive Stun - 0
January 24
- Drawn - 1
- Aimed - 0
- Red Dot - 4
- Fired - 1
- Drive Stun - 0
February 24
- Drawn - 4
- Aimed - 0
- Red Dot - 6
- Fired - 1
- Drive Stun - 0
March 24
- Drawn - 8
- Aimed - 1
- Red Dot - 16
- Fired - 2
- Drive Stun - 0
Historic Armed Policing - Taser Deployments
2022-23
- Drawn - 71
- Aimed - 13
- Red Dot - 104
- Fired - 20
- Drive Stun - 0
2021-22
- Drawn - 57
- Aimed - 8
- Red Dot - 58
- Fired - 9
- Drive Stun - 2
2020-21
- Drawn - 36
- Aimed - 11
- Red Dot - 76
- Fired - 16
- Drive Stun - 0
2019-20
- Drawn - 21
- Aimed - 6
- Red Dot - 55
- Fired - 5
- Drive Stun - 0
2018-19
- Drawn - 20
- Aimed - 8
- Red Dot - 46
- Fired - 5
- Drive Stun - 1
2017-18
- Drawn - 22
- Aimed - 8
- Red Dot - 32
- Fired - 3
- Drive Stun - 0
2016-17
- Drawn - 11
- Aimed - 1
- Red Dot - 14
- Fired - 1
- Drive Stun - 0
2015-16
- Drawn - 5
- Aimed - 0
- Red Dot - 8
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
Armed Policing - Firearm discharges
Total number of discharges 2023/24 - 3*
Conventional
- April 23 - 0
- May 23 - 0
- June 23 - 0
- July 23 - 0
- August 23 - 0
- September 23 - 0
- October 23 - 0
- November 23 - 0
- December 23 - 0
- January 24 - *
- February 24 - *
- March 24 - 0
Other Less Lethal
- April 23 - 0
- May 23 - 0
- June 23 - 0
- July 23 - 0
- August 23 - 0
- September 23 - 0
- October 23 - 0
- November 23 - 0
- December 23 - 0
- January 24 - 0
- February 24 - 0
- March 24 - 0
Specialist Munitions
- April 23 - 0
- May 23 - 0
- June 23 - 0
- July 23 - 1
- August 23 - 0
- September 23 - 1
- October 23 - 0
- November 23 - 0
- December 23 - 0
- January 24 - 0
- February 24 - 0
- March 24 - 1
Historical Armed Policing - Firearm discharges
2022-23
- Conventional - 3
- Other Less Lethal - 0
- Specialist Munitions - 9
2021-22
- Conventional - 2
- Other Less Lethal - 1
- Specialist Munitions - 9
2020-21
- Conventional - 0
- Other Less Lethal - 0
- Specialist Munitions - 1
2019-20
- Conventional - 2
- Other Less Lethal - 0
- Specialist Munitions - 1
2018-19
- Conventional - 0
- Other Less Lethal - 2
- Specialist Munitions - 4
2017-18
- Conventional - 6
- Other Less Lethal - 1
- Specialist Munitions - 1
2016-17
- Conventional - 12
- Other Less Lethal - 0
- Specialist Munitions - 0
2015-16
- Conventional - 6
- Other Less Lethal - 1
- Specialist Munitions - 0
Please note the information provided only refers to Armed Policing and does not include information in relation to Royalty and VIP Planning or Specially Trained Officers.
*Due to ongoing Enquiry this information cannot be reported
Other Useful Links
College of Policing
Police Investigations and Review Commissioner
