Incidents requiring West Yorkshire police officers to carry guns have increased, new figures reveal.

Just days after Bradford police officer Sharon Beshenivsky was murdered by a gunman, Home Office figures showed the number of armed operations authorised by the force soared 48 percent last year.

Between 2003-04 and 2004-05, armed police incidents rose from 575 to 853 the biggest increase in England.

Nationally, armed call-outs fell from 16,657 to 15,981. The use of armed response vehicles in West Yorkshire increased by 20 percent - from 543 to 656.

But the number of officers specially trained to handle firearms fell from 140 to 130.

Across England and Wales, police fired conventional guns just 18 times in 12 months, which covered five incidents.

However, baton rounds were fired on 23 occasions and Taser stun guns - a "less lethal alternative" - were used a further 35 times.

Home Office ministers did not comment on the figures, which were released in a written statement to MPs yesterday.

But Hazel Blears, the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety, said: "The statistics for April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2005, show that the number of police operations in which firearms were authorised was 15,981.

"The police discharged a conventional firearm 18 times covering five incidents. In addition, the police discharged baton rounds in 23 incidents and fired Tasers in 35 incidents.

"Armed response vehicles were deployed on 13,137 occasions and there were 6,243 authorised firearms officers in England and Wales."

There have been calls this week for police to be routinely armed following the killing of PC Beshenivsky

But Mrs Blears has rejected the suggestion, saying it could endanger the police's relationship with the public.