A RETIRED Met policeman has welcomed news that police chiefs are considering a further increase in armed officers in the wake of recent terror attacks.

Matt Johnson, who served in London for 21 years, had previously told the Argus that he believed all frontline police officers should have the choice to be armed or not.

Last week, it was revealed that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) were looking into increasing armed officer numbers and the possibility of issuing unarmed officers with Tasers.

Mr Johnson, now an acclaimed crime novelist who lives in Raglan, said he had made similar recommendations in a recent letter to the organisation.

“I think eventually we will see either some form of weapon developed which has the stopping power of a firearm or we will see armed officers,” he said.

“If the frontline officers are facing a man with a knife or a gun, then they ought to have a better weapon to defend themselves and others with,” he said.

“A Taser is really good at certain times, as is CG gas or pepper spray, but only in the right circumstances. If you’re up against a rapidly moving target, you get one shot.”

Armed policing numbers have been rapidly increasing since the Paris attacks in November 2015.

There are further plans to recruit around 1,500 extra officers across forces in England and Wales by the end of next year.

A funding boost of £143 million from the Home Office meant that as of April, there were 640 more authorised firearms officers than at the same point in 2016.

But Mr Johnson stated that an increasing number of armed officers should not lead to a lowering of standards required to become an armed officers.

Mr Johnson also admitted that “more guns means a higher likelihood there is for error.”

“The biggest danger is people attempting to take the weapon from you,” he said.

“If an officer attends an incident that doesn’t require the immediate use of firearms, but arrives armed, then that escalates the situation.”

He added: “The level of violence caused by alcohol, drugs, domestic violence and terrorism has changed, as has the attitude towards police and people are far more predisposed to cause violence against police than they were 20 or 30 years ago.

“It used to be the case that the uniform was enough to calm people down but it’s the opposite these days.”

A spokesman for the NPCC said: “We constantly review our armed policing capability and, of course, we are doing some careful analysis after terror attacks in Manchester and London.

“We are considering a range of options - whether we need to increase the number of armed response vehicles and enhanced protection for officers who run towards danger.

“That could mean providing officers with Tasers and considering whether some officers at key locations should be armed.

“Analysis will be shared with chief constables and the Government to consider. We remain committed to ensuring we have armed officers in the right places to protect the public.”