But then the question will be what do you call an high profile area? I do take your point, and the major cities should all have armed police patrolling the streets, but who can say that the lives of those in London, Manchester or Glasgow, are more important than those in other towns.
We all renember the IRA campaign against the English, and when Warrington was attacked. Warrington wouldn't be classed as an high profile target even now, but it was still the scene of a terror attack, so in my eyes, if we're going to arm the police, then arm them. We can't pick and choose who gets protected more than others.