Daryl,

In a jocular manner, you raise an important point. The British police exist to maintain the Queen's peace, they have no absolute duty to protect any individual one of Her subjects. If they did and you got hit over the head with a brick, then you could sue them for dereliction of duty - but you can't.

This gives the lie to the claim you so often hear in the UK, that you have no need of the means of self-protection because the police are there to do that for you. It's just not true and discussion of the feasibility of that argument (i.e. the impossibility of having your own personal policeman with you all the time) is a side issue.

In evidence for what I say, I offer up the London Riots where the police pursued a policy of containment rather than protection of individuals. (At least that's what they said.)

(P.S. I'm trying to ignore the battle of words going on in this subject. Sometimes these things happen in forums but they are a right pain in the fundament.)