Survey to ask Met police officers if they want to carry firearms

The organisation representing 30,000 police officers in London is to ask them if they want to carry a gun.

The Metropolitan Police Federation (MPF) says the survey was needed because the threats officers face to their personal safety have increased because of terrorism.

Officers will also be asked if they wish to be routinely issued with a Taser, an electronic stun gun used to temporarily incapacitate a suspect.

The vast majority of British police officers are unarmed, with firearms limited to a small minority with specialist training and who volunteer to carry a gun.

After Islamic State gunmen attacked Paris in November 2015, killing 130 people in gun and bomb attacks, British police chiefs increased the number of firearms officers in the UK. In London, judged by security officials to be the most likely target of an attack, their number will rise by 600.

Ken Marsh, the MPF chair, said: “The terrorism threat in London is constant and our officers must be vigilant and be able to deal swiftly with any scenarios we face. We are moving closer towards that by arming 600 more officers and I think it’s only fair that we ask our colleagues, who go out there on a daily basis, what they want.”

Since January 2015, the terrorist threat level specifically for police officers has been at severe.

The threat to officers was first raised to substantial in October 2014, and three months later to severe, the fourth highest of five levels. That followed an assessment by MI5’s joint terrorism analysis centre which concluded that an attack on police was highly likely.

A national survey of police officers across England and Wales last year showed that 20% wanted to be routinely issued with a firearm and six out of 10 wanted a Taser.

The Met’s leadership has stressed it does not want to see all officers armed with a gun or Taser. Senior officers have also made it clear that the new survey would not be carried out in partnership with the force’s leadership, as the MPF had appeared to claim in a press release.

The Met said: “The position of the Met and the commissioner is clear. We are proud to maintain the tradition that police in this country are not routinely armed. The routine arming of the Metropolitan police is not supported.

“About 92% of the service is unarmed and armed policing is delivered by highly trained specialist units. There is no plan to seek to change this.

“Twice in recent years the Met has increased the number of specially trained officers who carry Taser, and this is kept under constant review.”

It is expected that most Met officers will not want to carry a firearm, but most may want a Taser, creating a dilemma for the new Met commissioner, expected to be announced in February to replace Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who is retiring.

Tasers deliver a 50,000-volt shock to incapacitate people, but critics say the weapon is too often lethal. It has been linked to at least 10 deaths in England and Wales over the past decade.

The MPF said it would make the survey results public when they become available in February. As well as being asked if they want a gun, officers will be asked if they would quit if ordered to carry a gun.