
New data from the Home Office has revealed a record number of armed police on the streets of West Yorkshire.
According to the figures West Yorkshire Police had 180 armed officers as of the end of March, when the last national headcount was taken.
This was an increase from the previous year, when there were 165 officers, and an increase of 22 per cent from ten years ago, when current records began.
Though there has been an increase in armed officer numbers there has in fact been a decrease in the amount of armed operations. In the 12 months to March 2018, 896 armed police operations were conducted, down from 985 the previous year.