PEOPLE will do ‘all sorts of things to try and save their communities’, Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner said last week, when suggesting on the radio that registered firearms licence holders could assist police when dealing with terror attacks, writes Amy Dennis.

Conservative PCC Alison Hernandez was interviewed by Laurence Reed for BBC Radio Cornwall on June 12, with the commissioner also taking questions from members of the public.

One caller, Sara, who lives in Bude, described herself as an ex-registered firearms dealer, asking: “If there should ever be a terrorist attack… what happens if I and other people try to defend themselves using these guns? What would be the repercussions?”

Ms Hernandez said it was a ‘very good question’, going on to describe the idea as a possible ‘solution to our issues in geographic places’, having earlier said the police would not be able to respond to a terrorist attack in Cornwall as quickly as they had done recently in London, ‘unless they happen to be in that area at the time’.

Mr Reed cut Ms Hernandez off, asking if she was promoting vigilantism. Ms Hernandez said: “I’m just saying let’s officially have a look at that and see what would be the implications of it. Let’s unpick it a little bit. I would really be interested to explore that with the Chief Constable.

“These are times that are challenging and I would like to have an official response on that myself.”

Mr Reed went on to say: “You are not seriously suggesting that people take to the streets with their own guns?”

He also asked the caller if she would be ‘happy to take on a terrorist with one of your own guns’, to which she simply replied ‘yes’.

Ms Hernandez joked: “She’s not messing about! Don’t go down to Bude! I think the reality is, Laurence, if your community was coming under attack I think people would do all sorts of things to try and save their community, without even thinking as well.

“People will do incredible things without thinking to protect themselves and people around them.”

But the Deputy Chief Constable Paul Netherton said they would not want members of the public to arm themselves with firearms under any circumstances, and said their message to the public caught up in a terrorist attack is ‘to run, to hide and to tell’.

He said: “Quite obviously a marauding terrorist is the most challenging of circumstances, the police response requires significant professionalism and training as well as firearms capability.

“During these incidents, highly trained police firearms officers and Special Forces will be deployed to protect our communities.

“We would only use the normal military in response to a national security threat level and they would be deployed to free up police resources from their security duties.

“Under no circumstances would we want members of the public to arm themselves with firearms, not least because officers responding would not know who the offenders were, and quite obviously they would not have the time to ask.

“Our message to the public is a simple one: to run, to hide and to tell.

“Having said that, I accept that British policing will require an uplift in resources in response to the unprecedented threats we are currently facing.

“This includes additional operationally firearms capability as well as an investment in our local policing which does so much to identify and prevent people from committing terrorist acts.

“In light of the recent terrorist attacks and the threats that the UK are facing, we have already reviewed our resources and are working with other agencies to ensure that we have the capability to meet these threats.

“If the public have any information or anything they are concerned about they should call the Police Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.”