The committee admits it has “changed” its view on the use of armed guards since its last report on the issue, in 2010, finding that “no ship with an armed guard has been pirated and the use of guards has not escalated violence”.
via BBC News – EU anti-piracy fight with warships ‘must go on’.
That’s really no surprise: pirates are in it for quick money. If guards on a ship fire a couple warning shots at their tiny little boat it indicates that they’re on guard for pirates and it seems likely that the pirates would say “screw this” and hightail it out of there.
It’s also good to see the Europeans recommending that they continue to help police that area of the world: stopping piracy is everyone’s business.