The British have long prided themselves on the fact that most of their beat cops are unarmed. They have always figured that to be a testament to how civil their society is, that even the criminal element don't rate an armed response. Well those days of Merry Olde England with rosy cheeked maidens are, sadly, long gone. They better get with the program....or programme.
Does anyone remember the final part of An American Werewolf in London? The werewolf is running amok in Piccadilly Circus and the police respond with a special van carrying the armed officers. The monster roams at will in the meantime. This is pretty much what happened in London yesterday: a foreign monster running amok while the local police try to put together an effective response.