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An armed Exeter police officer has said he 'wouldn't trust some officers with a loaded stapler' in the wake of a controversial Ross Kemp documentary.

In the Line of Fire with Ross Kemp aired on ITV last night, asking whether all British police should carry firearms.

And one Devon, Cornwall and Dorset Police armed response officer caused a mini stir on Twitter by suggesting that would be a bad idea.

"Absolutely not. I wouldn’t trust some Officers with a loaded stapler, never mind a firearm," tweeted @AllianceArv.

"If they want to carry a gun, go through the process, otherwise step away. There are loads of roles that I couldn’t/wouldn’t do, so I leave those roles to those that are best suited."

At the time of writing, the tweet had 114 likes and nine retweets.

Not everyone was impressed by the comments though.

"Nice way to belittle your colleagues," tweeted JamesEds80. "Can’t think where the negative stereotypes for ARV officers being arrogant comes from."

@Will_Willsher was equally unimpressed: "This is the same sanctimonious arrogance AFOs displayed when Taser was extended - as predictable as it is dissapointing."

The police officer replied: "There are many roles in the job I couldn’t do. Either because I don’t have the intellect or my character doesn’t suit.

"This isn’t sanctimonious or arrogant, it’s about recognising your own limitations."

However, he did have support from some quarters.

"Completely agree some officers find it difficult to deploy and use a Baton let alone a firearm. Appreciate the show gives an insight BUT it's nothing new!" tweeted @Naz10.

But @poodart1 was also unhappy: "Pathetic comment, unfollowed. The exact arrogance you expect from an ARV."