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| Theresa May rejects Boris Johnson's request to use water cannon | Theresa May rejects Boris Johnson's request to use water cannon |
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| The home secretary, Theresa May, has rejected an attempt by Boris Johnson to deploy water cannon on the streets of London and refused to authorise their use by any police force in England and Wales. | The home secretary, Theresa May, has rejected an attempt by Boris Johnson to deploy water cannon on the streets of London and refused to authorise their use by any police force in England and Wales. |
| The home secretary heaped further humiliation on the London mayor by telling him that the three 25-year-old German water cannon, which he authorised to be bought last year by the Metropolitan police, have no fewer than 67 faults that need to be dealt with before they can be used. | The home secretary heaped further humiliation on the London mayor by telling him that the three 25-year-old German water cannon, which he authorised to be bought last year by the Metropolitan police, have no fewer than 67 faults that need to be dealt with before they can be used. |
| Johnson insisted, however, that the £218,205 spent on buying and refurbishing the three water cannon from the German federal police would not be wasted and that in the event of serious disorder in London a licence for their use “would be procured” from the home secretary. | |
| Johnson was said to be disappointed by May’s decision but insisted the police would continue to train on the machines. | Johnson was said to be disappointed by May’s decision but insisted the police would continue to train on the machines. |
| He told MPs he had been right to give the Met approval to buy the cannon last year because the deal had saved £2.3m compared with the cost of ordering them new. The move to purchase them had been backed by the prime minister and 68% of Londoners, according to one poll. | |
| Related: Theresa May snubs Boris Johnson by refusing to authorise water cannon - Politics live | Related: Theresa May snubs Boris Johnson by refusing to authorise water cannon - Politics live |
| Johnson said later: “We can’t use them at the moment. That is correct. We haven’t been given a general licence for their use. We will keep these devices in reserve and should there be another occasion when they might be a useful tool of crowd control the Metropolitan police commissioner can make another application.” | Johnson said later: “We can’t use them at the moment. That is correct. We haven’t been given a general licence for their use. We will keep these devices in reserve and should there be another occasion when they might be a useful tool of crowd control the Metropolitan police commissioner can make another application.” |
| May told MPs that her decision followed exhaustive medical and scientific tests that led her to conclude that the German cannon had the potential to cause serious injuries including spinal fractures, gave serious doubts over their usefulness in fastmoving riots, and were likely to damage the British tradition of policing by consent. | |
| “Where the medical and scientific evidence suggests those powers could cause serious harm, where the operational case is not clear, and where the historic principle of policing by consent could be placed at risk, I will not give my agreement,” said May. “The application for the authorisation of the Wasserwerfer 9000 water cannon does not meet that high threshold.” | “Where the medical and scientific evidence suggests those powers could cause serious harm, where the operational case is not clear, and where the historic principle of policing by consent could be placed at risk, I will not give my agreement,” said May. “The application for the authorisation of the Wasserwerfer 9000 water cannon does not meet that high threshold.” |
| The home secretary cited the case of a 66-year-old Stuttgart resident who was blinded during a protest by a similar model of water cannon as those bought by the Met . | The home secretary cited the case of a 66-year-old Stuttgart resident who was blinded during a protest by a similar model of water cannon as those bought by the Met . |
| The decision is a deep humiliation for Johnson, who believed that with David Cameron’s backing he could persuade the home secretary to approve his request. He was left clutching at the straw that in the event of serious riots in London she may yet issue a temporary licence for their use despite the lack of an official authorisation. | The decision is a deep humiliation for Johnson, who believed that with David Cameron’s backing he could persuade the home secretary to approve his request. He was left clutching at the straw that in the event of serious riots in London she may yet issue a temporary licence for their use despite the lack of an official authorisation. |
| One major problem that faced Johnson was the lack of support from other police forces. Formally the request for the home secretary’s authorisation for the first use of water cannon in England and Wales – they are already used on the streets of Northern Ireland – came from the Association of Chief Police Officers on behalf of all 43 forces. | One major problem that faced Johnson was the lack of support from other police forces. Formally the request for the home secretary’s authorisation for the first use of water cannon in England and Wales – they are already used on the streets of Northern Ireland – came from the Association of Chief Police Officers on behalf of all 43 forces. |
| But the next five largest forces in England and Wales quickly made clear they were against deploying water cannon on their streets, with one police chief even dismissing them as being “as much use as a chocolate teapot” for quelling disorder. | But the next five largest forces in England and Wales quickly made clear they were against deploying water cannon on their streets, with one police chief even dismissing them as being “as much use as a chocolate teapot” for quelling disorder. |
| The Labour MP Sadiq Khan, who is bidding to become his party’s candidate for London mayor, pledged to sell the cannon if he was elected. “It was not needed and it is nothing short of a scandal that almost £250,000 of taxpayers’ money was blown on equipment which cannot legally be used.” | |
| Human rights campaign group Liberty, welcomed May’s decision. Policy officer Sara Ogilvie said: “She should be commended for listening to vital evidence about the repercussions of their use for individuals and communities alike. Water cannon have no place in a society premised on policing by consent.” |