I guess I'm a clueless Yank. I know that the police in the UK don't routinely carry guns, but you'd think that if they were making a mass raid against what are suspected to be terrorists, that they'd at least carry pistols and be ready to use them. Did they really expect that whoever it was they were going after was going to surrender without a fight?

And if not, why in hell did they go in unarmed? I don't know about you guys, but I value the lives of cops more than that. I don't expect them to commit suicide for the cause. If they're going to be taking chances on my behalf, we owe it to them to give them the best likelihood of survival we can give them.

I knew that the bobbies didn't routinely carry pistols, but I thought that detectives did, at least when it made sense.

Steven,

British police are not routinely armed though they are very often armed for anti-terrorist operations.

Why they weren't armed on this occasion I do not know. I can only assume that someone or other made the operational decision that it was unnecessary.

This incident proves that the government should ban private knife-ownership! There should be a "knife amnesty" allowing us all to turn our dangerous metal knives in exchange for safe, government issued. plastic ones.

I have the funniest feeling that, if knives were unnecessary for food preparation, this would be followed by a call to ban knives. Heck, it might still, with knives being only sold to 'professional butchers' who cut things up into squares small enough to eat with chopsticks.

I used to think that american cops on reality shows like "Road Carnage, You're Nicked, Sonny" seemed too keen to put people on the ground and handcuff them. Now I think their procedures might have value.

What's unusual about this case is that the attack occured an hour after the initial raid. The officer and his Special Branch colleagues had entered later to gather evidence.

Also, according to the ITV news, the killer was an Algerian who had his asylum application turned down 4 years ago, but wasnever deported.

Finally, Stephen, so far as I know detectives generally don't carry guns at all - specialist firearms units are called in to cover this sort of operation.