Well, it's meant to offer protection. Acumen is... selectively interested in our well-being. It believes that criminals hurting other criminals is... sad, maybe, but just to be expected, and not really worth resources to prevent.
Sir Weinberg, the original founder of the Force, was able to persuade it that giving us the means to protect ourselves was in its interests, too. And so we are armed and assisted to a certain degree in protecting the people here from the more violent and dangerous element.