Armed Policing Report 2025/26
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 – 438
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
2025/26
April 25 - 89
May 25 - 69
June 25 - 56
July 25 - 71
August 25 - 93
September 25 - 106
October 25 -
November 25 -
December 25 -
January 26 -
February 26 -
March 26 -
Historic Armed Policing – Deployments
2024-25 - 722
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
2025/26
April 25
- Drawn - 7
- Aimed - 0
- Red Dot - 11
- Fired - 2
- Drive Stun - 0
May 25
- Drawn - 6
- Aimed - 3
- Red Dot - 14
- Fired - 6
- Drive Stun - 0
June 25
- Drawn - 7
- Aimed - 7
- Red Dot - 12
- Fired - 3
- Drive Stun - 0
July 25
- Drawn - 14
- Aimed - 4
- Red Dot - 13
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
August 25
- Drawn - 18
- Aimed - 13
- Red Dot - 20
- Fired - 1
- Drive Stun - 0
September 25
- Drawn - 3
- Aimed - 1
- Red Dot - 5
- Fired - 0
- Drive Stun - 0
October 25
- Drawn -
- Aimed -
- Red Dot -
- Fired -
- Drive Stun -
November 25
- Drawn -
- Aimed -
- Red Dot -
- Fired -
- Drive Stun -
December 25
- Drawn -
- Aimed -
- Red Dot -
- Fired -
- Drive Stun -
January 26
- Drawn -
- Aimed -
- Red Dot -
- Fired -
- Drive Stun -
February 26
- Drawn -
- Aimed -
- Red Dot -
- Fired -
- Drive Stun -
March 26
- Drawn -
- Aimed -
- Red Dot -
- Fired -
- Drive Stun -
Historic Armed Policing - Taser Deployments
2024-25
- Drawn - 65*
- Aimed - 11*
- Red Dot - 109*
- Fired - 12*
- Drive Stun - 0
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 25 - 3
- May 25 - 4
- June 25 - 0
- July 25 - 0
- August 25 - 0
- September 25 - 0
- October 25
- November 25
- December 25
- January 26
- February 26
- March 26
Other Less Lethal
- April 25 - 0
- May 25 - 0
- June 25 - 0
- July 25 - 0
- August 25 - 0
- September 25 - 0
- October 25
- November 25
- December 25
- January 26
- February 26
- March 26
Specialist Munitions
- April 25 - 1
- May 25 - 0
- June 25 - 0
- July 25 - 0
- August 25 - 0
- September 25 - 4
- October 25
- November 25
- December 25
- January 26
- February 26
- March 26
Historic Armed Policing - Firearm discharges
2024-25
- Conventional - 5*
- Other Less Lethal - 1*
- Specialist Munitions - 8*
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
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