Police face surge in armed P dealers

The head of the Police Association says the number of P dealers arming themselves has increased tenfold and is good reason for arming frontline police officers.

In an opinion piece in today's Herald, Greg O'Connor says police are "well-equipped and drilled" to deal with incidents where they know weapons are involved, such as aggravated robberies or family violence, through the Armed Offenders Squad.

"What's changed in my 35 years as a police officer - and especially the last few years - is the number of criminals who are arming against other criminals. Over the same time, we have seen enormous growth in criminal wealth driven by methamphetamine."

Mr O'Connor pointed to a liquor licensing checkat the Shakespeare Tavern in central Auckland inMay, where police wrestled a loaded gun off a patron who they say had $10,000 and a large amount of P.

His comments come after two police officers were shot in Christchurch last Tuesday, and a Sunday incident in which Auckland police shot and wounded a New Lynn man after he pointed a firearm at them.

Mr O'Connor wants all police sergeants in the field to be armed, and firearms to be readily accessible in every patrol vehicle for frontline officers.

But Human Rights Foundation chief Peter Hosking said firearms could already be accessed easily, as demonstrated by the New Lynn incident.

"The police were executing an arrest warrant, they were in fact armed so either when they were shot at or when the weapon was drawn, they responded."