Met chiefs face questions over armed police

Senior Scotland Yard officers are facing questions today over why they were kept in the dark that armed patrols had been used in London since June.

Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson axed the gun patrols yesterday after protests from community leaders that they had not been consulted in advance.

He said his deputy Tim Godwin had learned of the patrols last Thursday and had instructed they should end.

Today members of the Metropolitan Police Authority, the force's governing body, said there were questions over why senior officers had not been told of the pilot scheme.

Labour policing spokesman Joanne McCartney said: "Why was the mayor not briefed if this has been going on for six months?

"The idea that armed police have been patrolling estates without clearance at the highest level is alarming and has rightly caused anger. This is a mess that doesn't reflect well on the Mayor or the Met."

Lib-Dem assembly member Dee Doocey said: "Questions need to be asked about why these operations went on for so long without senior officers knowing at Scotland Yard." Police say the firearms unit at the centre of controversy will continue to operate but will no longer patrol estates.

The Proactive Firearms Unit will be used to carry out stop and searches and arrests.

The decision to form the squad is understood to have been taken by an officer in the CO19 firearms unit after requests for help in dealing with armed criminals from borough commanders. One senior police source said: "Stephenson and Godwin should be fuming that no one thought to refer this up the chain of command."