Yes

It is their job to do help maintain a safe community, it is not an easy job but someone needs to do that. With the increase in crime rates and violent activities over the previous years, including the death of a police officer and multiple reporter injuries, police who put themselves in they position for the greater good of the community safety, should be entitled to utilising and holding weapons for their own and others safety. However, this should be inclusive of very thorough and consise training with the use of these weapons, training programmes would be required to be of a much higher level than the current police and NZDF training.