Water cannon could soon be a reality during public disorder on the UK mainland after the London Mayor Boris Johnson endorsed the Met’s request for the weapon. He said he would recommend that the force be given the green light to buy three vehicles from the German Federal Police. Mr Johnson added that an independent poll suggested that two-thirds of more than 4,200 Londoners backed the move – although the final sign off now rests with Home Secretary Theresa May. A statement from the Mayor’s office said the purchase of water cannon was backed by every ethnic group and across the age range and his decision was underpinned by a major consultation exercise. But the move has not been without controversy, with the London Assembly suggesting that the vehicles would be infrequently deployed and would not be a cost-effective investment. As previously reported, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said that the vehicles would be “rarely seen and rarely used”. But his chief officer team stressed that they could prove useful in some public order situations – such as creating a sterile area to protect the emergency services personnel. They said vehicles could have been useful during the 2011 riots – when firefighters came under attack as they dealt with the Reeves furniture store fire in Croydon. Theoretical option In the recently revised public order framework on the UK mainland, water cannon, along with attenuating energy projectile baton rounds, is theoretically an option for commanders in the most serious situations where life or serious injury are a risk. The vehicles are already deployed in Northern Ireland, where they as pressed into action in pairs at pre-planned events where disorder is expected, such as contentious parades. While a labour intensive option, requiring 22 officers as well as three Land Rovers for the command team and fuel crews, they have proven effective. Mr Johnson said: “No one wants to see water cannon routinely deployed on the streets of London but having carefully weighed up all the evidence, I have concluded there is broad support among Londoners for the use of this measure by the police in limited circumstances. “This is a tactic that the Commissioner has requested be available to his force when confronted with situations of extreme public disorder and he has assured me that they will be rarely seen and rarely used. “However, it is critical that Londoners are assured that there are robust safeguards in place before seeing water cannon in action. To this end I will be asking Lord Carliles independent policing ethics panel to explore the ethical considerations around how water cannon, if licensed by the Home Secretary, should be used.” The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh, added: “We need the Met to continue to police protest in a proportionate manner and not to escalate the use of force. “But we also have a duty to ensure the police have the tools to do the job we ask of them.”
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 18:16:53 +0000
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