Armed Policing Report 2024/25

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 – 481

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 

2024/25

April 24 - 71

May 24 - 73

June 24 - 48

July 24 - 57

August 24 - 87

September 24 - 79

October 24 - 52

November 24 - 54

December 24 - 46

January 25 - 46      

February 25 - 44

March 25 - 65          

Historic Armed Policing – Deployments

2023-24 - 637

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 

2024/25

April 24

• Drawn - 2
• Aimed - 1       
• Red Dot - 12      
• Fired - 1
• Drive Stun - 0

May 24

• Drawn - 7
• Aimed - 1
• Red Dot - 5
• Fired - 2
• Drive Stun - 0

June 23

• Drawn - 3
• Aimed - 2
• Red Dot - 9
• Fired - 0
• Drive Stun - 0

July 24

• Drawn - 4
• Aimed - 3
• Red Dot - 8
• Fired - 1
• Drive Stun - 0

August 24

• Drawn - 9
• Aimed - 0
• Red Dot - 9
• Fired - 2
• Drive Stun - 0

September 24

• Drawn - 6
• Aimed - 1
• Red Dot - 12
• Fired - 0
• Drive Stun - 0

October 24

• Drawn -         6
• Aimed -         0
• Red Dot -      14
• Fired -           3
• Drive Stun - 0

November 24

• Drawn -         7
• Aimed -         1
• Red Dot -      8
• Fired -           *
• Drive Stun - 0

December 24

• Drawn -         2
• Aimed -         0
• Red Dot -      8
• Fired -           2
• Drive Stun - 0

January 25

• Drawn -         4       
• Aimed -         1
• Red Dot -      10
• Fired -           0
• Drive Stun - 0

February 25

• Drawn -         11
• Aimed -         0
• Red Dot -      8
• Fired -           1
• Drive Stun - 0

March 25

• Drawn -         4*
• Aimed -         1*
• Red Dot -      6*
• Fired -           *
• Drive Stun - 0

Historic Armed Policing - Taser Deployments

2023/24

• Drawn - 61
• Aimed - 12
• Red Dot - 109
• Fired - 9
• Drive Stun - 0

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

Conventional

• April 24 - 0
• May 24 - 0       
• June 24 - 0       
• July 24  - *                          
• August 24 - 2                       
• September 24 - 3                 
• October 24 - 0             
• November 24 -  0                   
• December 24 - 1                    
• January 25 - 4             
• February 25 - 0           
• March 25 - *

Other Less Lethal

• April 24 - 0
• May 24 - 0       
• June 24 - 0       
• July 24 - 0                          
• August 24 - 0                         
• September 24 - 0                   
• October 24 - 0             
• November 24 - 0                    
• December 24 - 1                    
• January 25 - 0             
• February 25 - 0           
• March 25 - 0                          

Specialist Munitions

• April 24 - 0       
• May 24 - 0       
• June 24 - 0       
• July 24 - 0                         
• August 24 - 0                        
• September 24 - 1        
• October 24 - 1             
• November 24 - 4                   
• December 24 - 0                    
• January 25 - 0                                  
• February 25 - 0           
• March 25 - 2     

Historic Armed Policing - Firearm discharges

2023-24

• Conventional - *                  
• Other Less Lethal - 0
• Specialist Munitions - 1

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