• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS

London’s policing watchdog criticises Sadiq Khan for ‘slipping out’ Met’s decision to permanently adopt spit guards

August 23, 2018 by Martin Hoscik

Mr Khan with Met Commissioner Cressida Dick. Image: GLA
Sadiq Khan has been criticised for failing to publicise the fact that the Metropolitan Police will continue using spit guards in custody suites following their ‘satisfactory’ testing in five London boroughs.

A number of UK forces already use the guards when a detainee attempts to bite or spit on officers, behaviour which carries significant risk of officers becoming infected with hepatitis or TB.

The Met’s piloting of their use was delayed following objections from Mayor Khan who, it later emerged, only learned of the plans from media coverage.

Mr Khan now says the pilot scheme’s results were “satisfactory” and, in a written answer to London Assembly member Susan Hall, has confirmed that Met Commissioner Cressida Dick “has taken an operational decision to continue with their use in custody suites”.

Although the Mayor’s answer was published on the City Hall website, members of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee say he has failed to proactively publicise “a major policy decision”.

Committee chair Steve O’Connell AM contrasted the lack of a press release announcing the decision to deploy spit guards permanently with the Mayor’s publicising of his annual busking competition.

He said: “This is a major policy decision which should not have been slipped out in this manner.
 
“The fact that police officers are being spat at during their duties in the first place, is frankly disgusting. This decision is an important one, that the public should be made aware of.
 
“The Mayor should have announced this decision fully and openly. If a busking competition deserves a public statement, then decisions on sensitive policing issues should also merit the appropriate level of transparency.
 
“The Committee will question the Commissioner about this when she appears before us next month.”

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: News

RECENT UPDATES

Tube and rail users to benefit from Oyster weekly fares cap

Mayor and TfL call on ministers to help plug funding gap

Tube to get full mobile phone coverage from 2024

TfL says Direct Vision Standard is already making HGVs safer for London road users




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

Copyright © 2023 · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy