To the people who did not understand that thirty years ago.
Police were not allowed to walk the streets with guns on their hips.
Many police today are small and therefore have no authority power in their character.The reason why criminals feared the Police was that they were big enough to physically and mentally handle any dangerous situation.
Guns have been given to Victoria Police in the last thirty years as Police have lost control of the streets of Australia.The guns are for self protection.

Broc,

Why would anyone want to deny the police an effective means of protection, in fact, why would anyone want to deny any person an effective means of protection?

Hey Suseonline,
I just watched a video where police saved a 9 year old from being killed by her older brother (who they shot dead) who had just cut off his 5 year old sisters head with a knife in front of police after stabbing his 17 year old sister to death who'd initially called police.

Everyone please note that this is one example of white cops shooting a black person that make up those statistics of black deaths by white police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqkFDyknj0M
(*If you are bothered by excessive swearing do not watch past the initial report that finishes at 3:10 - no swearing prior to this)

Saying that carrying a gun does not always protect you is true, (I also do understand there's a lot of needless killing) but you don't often hear about all the times that guns do prevent crimes and save lives.

With around $150billion being spent annually on the main four illicit drugs marijuana, heroin, cocaine and meth, the contribution to violence including the sub-set of gun violence, will be noticeable.

Alcohol is worse.

Alcohol and illicit drugs
"Alcohol and drugs are implicated in an estimated 80% of offenses leading to incarceration in the United States such as domestic violence, driving while intoxicated, property offenses, drug offenses, and public-order offenses.

Our nation’s prison population has exploded beyond capacity and most inmates are in prison, in large part, because of substance abuse:

80% of offenders abuse drugs or alcohol.
Nearly 50% of jail and prison inmates are clinically addicted.
Approximately 60% of individuals arrested for most types of crimes test positive for illegal drugs at arrest.

The Impact of Alcohol

Because alcohol use is legal and pervasive, it plays a particularly strong role in the relationship to crime and other social problems. Alcohol is a factor in 40% of all violent crimes today, and according to the Department of Justice, 37% of almost 2 million convicted offenders currently in jail, report that they were drinking at the time of their arrest.

Alcohol, more than any illegal drug, was found to be closely associated with violent crimes, including murder, rape, assault, child and spousal abuse. About 3 million violent crimes occur each year in which victims perceive the offender to have been drinking and statistics related to alcohol use by violent offenders generally show that about half of all homicides and assaults are committed when the offender, victim, or both have been drinking. Among violent crimes, with the exception of robberies, the offender is far more likely to have been drinking than under the influence of other drugs."
http://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/alcohol-drugs-and-crime

Dear Armchair Critic,

You wrote;

“Saying that carrying a gun does not always protect you is true, (I also do understand there's a lot of needless killing) but you don't often hear about all the times that guns do prevent crimes and save lives.”

I'm sorry but how do you arrive at that conclusion from these events?

The police arrived and the brother decapitated his sister in front of them. No shots were fired. He then made for his other sister's room and was then shot after gathering police numbers rushed the home.

The brother had just done time for illegally possessing a weapon. What if this had occurred before the weapon was taken from him? Do you really think the surviving sister would have lived?

Should the sister's all have been armed to 'protect themselves'?

There are other examples to use which would support your contention but I don't think this is the one to do it.

"The police arrived and the brother decapitated his sister in front of them. No shots were fired. He then made for his other sister's room and was then shot after gathering police numbers rushed the home"

As has been claimed on the link, probably no shots were fired until after a murder had been committed because the white police didn't want to be seen as shooters of black man who didn't have a gun.

Rather a tough judgement on the police concerned but had they fired to save the girl's life they would have put themselves in that position.