Daily Times

New Zealand officials said on Friday armed police will patrol parts of the country in a trial project following heightened security concerns after a mass shooting in Christchurch in March that killed 51 people.

New Zealand, like the United Kingdom and Norway, is one of the few countries where police do not carry guns while on general duty. However, hand guns, rifles and tasers are kept in their vehicles and can be used with a supervisor’s permission. Serious crime is relatively unusual in New Zealand, although frontline police were armed for several weeks following the massacre by a suspected white supremacist at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15.

The attack sparked a debate on whether all police should carry fire arms. “Following the events of March 15 in Christchurch, our operating environment has changed,” Police Commissioner Mike Bush said in a statement on Friday. “Police must ensure our people are equipped and enabled to perform their roles safely and to ensure our communities are, and feel, safe.