Met chief backs strikers

Sir John Stevens intervened in an escalating crisis today after scores of London's firearms officers laid down their guns.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said he was taking personal charge of negotiations with up to 120 officers who are refusing to carry weapons after the suspension of two of their colleagues.

A growing number have joined the unprecedented protest, furious at the fall-out from an inquest jury's ruling last week that unarmed Harry Stanley was unlawfully killed by two officers from the SO19 Armed Response Unit.

Sir John today placed himself foursquare behind his officers and criticised the law on the police use of firearms. "I want to make it absolutely clear I have every sympathy for officers who have to make split decisions in life threatening situations," he said.

"I believe the law as it stands at the moment is far from ideal but we cannot ignore the jury's verdict. That is the law of the land.

"At the moment I have taken personal charge of the negotiations with these officers. I am going to try to resolve it as quickly as possible. It is obvious we need these armed officers in London to ensure not only Londoners are safe but their colleagues are safe."

Sir John today admitted the crisis was "escalating" and added: "We have a very serious problem." As an officer who carried a gun for 11 years, he said he had every sympathy with colleagues who had to make instant decisions.

Today an SO19 source said: "More than 100 officers have now indicated they are not prepared to carry on until they review their position. They are bitterly disappointed at the way the two officers have been treated and they feel unsupported."

Sir John compared the situation with the Fathers 4 Justice protest at Buckingham Palace when had it not been for a "cool, calm collected response someone could have been shot dead".

He also called for the law to be changed, saying the five years since Mr Stanley's death - who was thought to be carrying a shotgun when it was in fact a wooden table leg - had led to the situation where "justice delayed is justice denied".

Sir John's move came after an appeal by Assistant Commissioner David Veness to a meeting of more than 100 officers today failed to resolve the dispute. Later, rank and file officers in the elite SO19 were locked in a series of meetings in an attempt to agree their next move. Asked to confirm reports that a quarter of the SO19 officers were refusing to carry arms, Sir John added: "As far as the figures are concerned, I can't give you the exact number but it's escalating."

So far the revolt has not had an operational impact on SO19 but if many more officers join the protest the Met's firearms capability could be crippled.

Today Ken Livingstone said that shootings like the Stanley case were rare. "I don't think anyone can describe our police as trigger-happy. We have an incredibly effective armed police unit."

He said that police had challenged Mr Stanley after being fed "a completely dishonest bit of information". He added: "It's one of those decisions that went the wrong way."