THE IMPOTENCE OF THE POWERFUL - RECENT BRITISH POLICE WEAPONS POLICY

Established social order is often maintained through the inertia of in action rather than the overt exercise of power by those in dominant po sitions. However, theorists continue to assume that if actors feel com pelled to abstain from action this must arise from the power wielded b y others however subtly. This is an unnecessary assumption, since in s ome circumstances inaction may reflect the impotence of the actor rath er than any externally imposed power. Such impotence may be felt not o nly by those in subordinate positions, but also by those in positions of apparent domination. This is illustrated by an analysis of the caut ion of police policy-makers with regard to weapons policy generally, a nd the deployment of armed response vehicles in particular.