Armed police officers assigned to protect London Mayor Sadiq Khan allegedly left a bag containing firearms and a Taser on a street in south London, where it was discovered by a member of the public. The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that five officers have been removed from frontline duties while an investigation is underway.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:40pm on Tuesday, when a member of the public found the bag on a kerbside. Police arrived within seven minutes of the call and safely recovered the items. The bag reportedly contained an MP5 semi-automatic carbine, a Glock pistol, a Taser, and ammunition.
Jordan Griffiths, a scaffolder, said his pregnant partner first noticed the bag. He told the Sun: 'My partner saw the bag sitting in the road by the kerbside and became suspicious. She went over to it and kicked it to see what it might be. But it was really heavy and didn’t move.' Griffiths added that he took the bag inside and opened it, expressing shock at its contents.
A Met spokesperson stated: 'We are urgently reviewing the circumstances of this incident and recognise the concern it may cause. At this stage it is believed the bag was misplaced by on-duty officers a short time before the member of the public located it.' A referral has been made to the Met’s directorate of professional standards.
A spokesperson for Mayor Khan said: 'This is a very serious incident... The Met must now take all steps to ensure an incident like this never occurs again.' Khan, who has 24-hour police protection, was MP for Tooting before becoming mayor in 2016.
