Armed Metropolitan Police officers assigned to protect London mayor Sadiq Khan left a bag containing firearms, a Taser and ammunition on a street outside his south London home, the force has confirmed, in a security lapse that has led to five officers being removed from frontline duties.
The bag was found by a member of the public at about 9.40pm on Tuesday 31 March, after being left unattended for what the Met described as a short time. Officers arrived within seven minutes of the 999 call and “safely recovered the items”, the force said.
In a statement, the Met said the member of the public had reported “a bag containing Met-issued firearms and a Taser on a street in south London”. It said the force was “urgently reviewing the circumstances of this incident and recognises the concern it may cause”.
The Met added that it believed the bag had been “misplaced by on-duty officers a short time before” it was found.
The weapons are understood to have belonged to the specialist protection officers assigned to Khan, part of the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection command. The force’s Directorate of Professional Standards has opened an internal investigation into the incident.
A spokesperson for Khan described the episode as “a very serious incident” and said the Metropolitan Police “must now take all steps to ensure an incident like this never occurs again”.
According to accounts given to UK media, the bag was discovered by local resident Jordan Griffiths after his pregnant partner noticed a heavy holdall by the kerb near the mayor’s home. Griffiths told reporters he took the bag inside, opened it and found a handgun in one pocket, a submachine gun in the main compartment, and a Taser and ammunition in another.
Broadcast reports said the holdall contained a Heckler & Koch MP5, a Glock pistol and a Taser, along with live ammunition. Some reports said the pistol contained a loaded magazine.
Griffiths said he photographed the contents before calling 999. He told reporters he could not believe what he had found and said the officers who arrived appeared shocked.
It remains unclear exactly how the bag came to be left on the street, how long it was unattended, or whether the officers had realised it was missing before the public called police. The Met has not publicly set out the precise sequence of events beyond saying the bag was misplaced shortly before it was discovered.
As of Saturday, there was no public confirmation that the Independent Office for Police Conduct had opened a separate inquiry. The Met has so far said only that its Directorate of Professional Standards is reviewing the circumstances.
The incident is likely to add to scrutiny of the Metropolitan Police’s handling of firearms and standards in specialist units. The force has remained under pressure to improve culture and supervision following a series of scandals and the 2023 Casey Review, which found the Met to be institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.
Khan has had round-the-clock police protection for years because of repeated threats. While there is no suggestion the mayor was personally involved in the error, the lapse happened within the security operation around one of the capital’s highest-profile protected figures.
The episode also carries political sensitivity because Khan, as mayor, oversees the Met through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, although operational responsibility lies with the force.
It is not the first time Met protection officers have faced investigation after weapons were left unsecured. In 2008, an officer on Tony Blair’s protection team left a loaded Glock in a Starbucks toilet in central London. In 2020, a bodyguard for former prime minister David Cameron left a loaded pistol and Cameron’s passport in the toilet of a British Airways flight from New York to London.
No injuries have been reported and there is no indication that any of the weapons were fired or used. The Met said the firearms were recovered safely and that five officers had been taken off frontline duties while the investigation continues.
Join the Discussion
Have something to say? Join the conversation!
Sign in to share your thoughts and engage with other readers.
Sign In Create AccountNo comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this article!