Other countries with unarmed police forces

[nickdastoor]

I often read the Britain is one of only a handful of countries whose regular police force is not armed. What's in this handful? Ireland, and I think India are the only ones I know of.

[wildwood]

Fiji, Samoa and New Zealand are another three.

[woodpam]

Depends entirely what you mean by armed. Having seen the results of CS gas sprayed directly over someone (who was in the wrong place at the wrong time) and followed up by a whack from a baton I think the police are armed in a sense. They certainly need some protection and means of defending themselves and the victims of crime, but guns? Probably in exceptional circumstances and at airports but for every day use maybe not. Police in India have very long sticks which serve much the same purpose as batons.