Yard to arm nearly 2,000 extra
Force chiefs also consider rise in officers carrying lethal firearms
NEARLY 2,000 extra police officers in London are to be armed with Tasers to meet the threat of terrorism and knife crime, Scotland Yard said today.
The move will mean more than 6,400 officers will be equipped with Tasers, nearly a third of frontline officers.
Met commissioner Cressida Dick said her decision was in response to an increase in violence and knife crime and said the weapon would be another tool in the fight against terror. In the past few months, London has suffered terror attacks at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge and Finsbury Park, where Darren Osborne was arrested after a van hit worshippers near the Muslim Welfare House mosque and community centre. Ms Dick said: “There are undoubtedly situations in which people who are carrying a knife and are intent on a terrorist-motivated attack might be dealt with very effectively by Taser and we have seen that in the past few weeks. This is not a direct response to that, but I’m sure it will assist with that.”
Ms Dick also revealed that police chiefs were considering increasing the number of officers armed with lethal firearms. She said: “We are talking both to colleagues across the country and to the Government about whether we need any change in our armed policing numbers or posture.
“As you will have seen at Borough market, we have very highly trained, very mobile, highly equipped people who are able to respond incredibly quickly, but we need to see if there is a requirement for anything further.”
Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh said that if the first officers on the scene of the London Bridge atrocity had been armed with Tasers they could have ended the attack more quickly.
An unarmed British Transport Police officer took on the three knifemen armed only with a baton, while an offduty Met policeman came to his aid and fought them with his bare hands. Both were seriously injured.
Mr Marsh said: “We welcome these extra Taser officers, given the scale of the threats that we are facing. I think there is also a greater understanding of why we need Tasers.”
The extra Tasers are to be handed out to borough response officers who are often the first on the scene of violent attacks and major incidents. Around 1,730 of the newly trained Taser officers will be from boroughs, with the remainder based with specialist units.
Ms Dick said: “It’s a less lethal option. Tasers, in some situations, will save the suspect’s life as otherwise they might have been shot. It is always the preferred option. We have had an increase in violent crime, including knife crime and an increase in assaults on officers.
“When I arrived, I said I wanted to be a commissioner whose officers were as well protected as they could be. The very drawing of the Taser allows the incident to be resolved very quickly. My officers will be better equipped to protect the public and themselves.”
All firearms officers will carry Tasers. Tasers, which deliver an electric shock