Metropolitan Police Face Scrutiny Over Lost Tasers and Ammunition
The Metropolitan Police have reportedly lost Tasers and ammunition in yet another significant security blunder, after officers left a duffel bag full of firearms outside the home of Mayor Sadiq Khan. Britain's largest police force, specifically its MO19 firearms command, is understood to have reported three Tasers as missing. Two of these devices, classified as firearms capable of delivering a maximum charge of 50,000 volts, remain unaccounted for, while the third has been successfully recovered.
Details of the Lost Equipment
According to reports from The Sun, two Taser cartridges have been permanently lost, along with 25 rounds of ammunition, including 9mm and 5.56mm bullets. These losses occurred over the five-year period leading up to April 2025. In stark contrast, police forces in South Yorkshire and West Midlands did not report a single loss of firearms, Tasers, or ammunition during the same timeframe.
This latest mishap comes less than a week after five officers were suspended following reports that guns were left outside Mayor Khan's residence in Clapham, south London. The weapons were discovered late on a Tuesday evening by a pregnant passer-by who grew suspicious after noticing the bag abandoned on a kerb.
Discovery of the Firearms
The woman kicked the luggage to assess its contents, but upon finding it unusually heavy, she returned home to seek assistance from her partner, Jordan Griffiths. Griffiths, a scaffolder, accompanied her back to the location and took the bag home for further investigation, initially speculating that its weight might indicate it was filled with coins.
Upon opening the bag, Griffiths was shocked to find an MP5 semi-automatic Heckler & Koch carbine, a Glock pistol, a Taser, and numerous bullets. "It was lucky one of the guns inside didn't go off or else she and our baby due next month could have been shot and killed," Griffiths remarked afterwards. "I couldn't believe my eyes."
He added, "I hate to think what might have happened if any of the people in Clapham had found that bag. It could have been mayhem." Griffiths laid the guns out on his bed, photographed them with his phone, and promptly called the police, who arrived within minutes to collect the weapons.
Police Response and Investigation
The responding officers were described as "shocked" upon seeing the weaponry. They carefully examined the bag before hastily removing it. The police informed Griffiths that the luggage had been left by one of Sir Sadiq's security officers. When Griffiths inquired about a potential reward for finding the guns, he was told he would receive "a bag of sweets."
Loose within the holdall was an American-made semi-automatic Heckler & Koch MP5SF A3 rifle, capable of firing up to 800 rounds per minute. The Taser stun gun, which can deliver 50,000 volts, was stored in a nylon holster, while an Austrian Glock 17 pistol, loaded with at least ten rounds, was kept in a leather holster.
The Metropolitan Police's directorate of professional standards has launched an investigation into the incident. The five armed protection officers involved have been temporarily suspended from frontline duties pending the outcome of the inquiry.
Expert Analysis and Broader Context
Sources have raised questions about how the bag of weapons was removed from Sir Sadiq's home and abandoned in the street. A former Met firearms officer acknowledged that police officers are human and can make errors, citing an example where a Special Forces operator left a pistol in a motorway service station toilet. However, the insider stressed that mistakes of this magnitude by the Mayor's protection team should have serious repercussions.
Retired detective chief inspector Mick Neville noted that gun crime is prevalent in south London, and "too many villains would have been very pleased" to find the holdall. He emphasised that the Met was fortunate the individuals who discovered it handed it in, as it could otherwise have led to crimes committed with police-issued weapons. Neville added that even highly professional firearms officers, who diligently protect the public, can occasionally make rare mistakes.
Sir Sadiq Khan has been under 24-hour armed protection by a team of approximately 15 officers due to repeated threats to his safety. The married father-of-two disclosed these security arrangements at a Labour Party conference fringe meeting in 2021, stating he requires protection because of the "colour of his skin and the god he worships," and that the threat has been "tough" on his family.
