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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Metropolitan Police given permission to buy water cannon | Metropolitan Police given permission to buy water cannon |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Approval has been given for the Metropolitan Police to purchase three water cannon for London. | Approval has been given for the Metropolitan Police to purchase three water cannon for London. |
| Stephen Greenhalgh, deputy mayor for policing and crime, authorised the force buy the cannon from the German Federal Police. | Stephen Greenhalgh, deputy mayor for policing and crime, authorised the force buy the cannon from the German Federal Police. |
| The mayor's office said: "By purchasing them now we are able to save over £2.3m compared to buying new devices". | The mayor's office said: "By purchasing them now we are able to save over £2.3m compared to buying new devices". |
| The water cannon will not be deployed until the home secretary authorises their use in England and Wales. | The water cannon will not be deployed until the home secretary authorises their use in England and Wales. |
| 'Tools and powers' | |
| In a statement, the mayor's office said purchasing the cannon now for just over £218,000, before Theresa May approves them, meant they could be bought at a "considerably reduced rate". | |
| A Home Office spokesman said: "We are keen to ensure that the police have the tools and powers they need to maintain order on our streets." | A Home Office spokesman said: "We are keen to ensure that the police have the tools and powers they need to maintain order on our streets." |
| It said Chief Constable David Shaw, as the national policing lead, had written to the home secretary to request water cannon be authorised for use by the police in England and Wales and Ms May was considering the request. | |
| In its briefing document requesting their purchase, the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) states: "The timing of this decision is driven by the enhanced risk that the water cannon, currently available to be purchased second hand are sold to another European police authority." | |
| It added that purchasing them now also meant, if approved, they could be in place for the summer, which "although there are no expectations of violence, such tools are most likely to be needed". |