The Telegraph: London police could be equipped with handguns

Police in London should be armed with handguns to protect them from deadly knife attacks, a confidential Scotland Yard review recommended, Report informs via The Telegraph.

The internal review, seen by The Telegraph, said the Metropolitan Police should consider routinely arming officers with semi-automatic pistols to protect against the growing threat to their lives.

At present, guns are restricted to highly trained officers in specialist firearms units who are only deployed to the most dangerous incidents. They are also used to provide protection at high-profile events or sites and to kill dangerous animals.

The internal safety review was commissioned after two Met officers faced a knife attack in Leicester Square in 2022 when a 25-year-old man overcame batons, Tasers and Pava pepper spray to stab them.

It is understood Scotland Yard chiefs rejected the recommendation to arm officers because it was contrary to the UK tradition of policing by consent, a principle that means the police serve the public rather than coerce them.

A spokesman said the Met followed national guidance from the College of Policing, which "does not support the arming of all front-line officers". Instead, it said it aimed to train and equip 10,000 officers with Tasers by the summer of 2027, with batons and pepper spray issued to all.