Scotland Yard considers armed foot patrols to tackle gang violence

Scotland Yard on Friday said it is considering using armed foot patrols by officers as extra support during some instances of imminent gang violence in the British capital.

The Metropolitan Police stressed that such deployment is not being planned as a routine measure and would only be used in "extreme circumstances".

"As part of our response to the increase in violent crime in London we are examining how our armed officers can provide extra support and augment other units, either in response to a serious assault, or to be deployed to areas where we have intelligence that serious violence is imminent," said Met Police Assistant Commissioner Sir Stephen House.

He said that any deployments would be for a limited time only and done in consultation with local policing commanders, and after a community impact assessment had been carried out.

The Met Police said its consultation into the extended, yet limited, use of armed police is at an early stage as part of a wider fight against violence in London.

The statement followed evidence by Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick's to the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee earlier this week, during which she told assembly members that armed officers were already getting out of their vehicles to support unarmed colleagues during violent incidents.

"If something truly ghastly has just happened or is about to happen, those officers who at the moment would stand next to their vehicles might take a very short foot patrol," Dick said during the hearing.

"It is a small change potentially in tactic in extreme circumstances," she said.

Gang violence has been a serious concern for Britain's largest police force, with a recent spate of stabbings particularly across south London. The number of violence-related deaths in London has hit 127 this year, higher than 116 killings in 2017.

"In April, we set up the Violent Crime Taskforce, a Metropolitan Police team dedicated to tackling serious violence. Since then, it's carried out 4,151 weapons sweeps, seized 475 knives and arrested more than 2,000 suspects," said London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Khan's City Hall office, which oversees London's security arrangements, added that the Met Police has been using targeted stop and search of individuals for areas worst-affected by knife crime and that as much as 7 million pounds has been earmarked for projects to combat youth violence across the city.