Five armed police officers have been taken off duty after a bag containing multiple firearms and ammunition was left unattended on a street near the south London home of Mayor Sadiq Khan. The bag was discovered by a member of the public on Tuesday evening.
The bag contained an MP5 semi-automatic carbine, a Glock pistol, a Taser, and various rounds of ammunition. It was found by the girlfriend of scaffolder Jordan Griffiths, who reported the discovery to The Sun newspaper. Griffiths expressed shock at the find and said he called police, who arrived within minutes to collect the weapons.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the bag was believed to have been misplaced by on-duty officers a short time before it was found. The force's Directorate of Professional Standards has launched an internal review, and five officers have been removed from frontline duties pending the investigation.
A Met spokesperson said: 'We are urgently reviewing the circumstances of this incident and recognise the concern it may cause.' A spokesperson for Mayor Khan described it as 'a very serious incident' and called on the Met to ensure such an event never recurs.
