Firearm Seized By Officers After Stop And Search In Harrow

The importance of stop and search has been highlighted once again after officers found a loaded firearm on a group of males who were hanging around outside a parade of shops. 

At about 22:00hrs on Thursday, 20th August, Violent Crime Taskforce (VCTF) officers from the Metropolitan Police were on patrol when they saw a group of men loitering outside a shop in Rayners Lane, Harrow.

As the men were being told they were being detained for a search, officers saw one of them drop a blue bag, which made a ‘clunking’ noise when it hit the floor.

When officers picked up the bag and looked inside, they found a loaded revolver. The firearm was made safe by ARV officers and has been sent off for testing. 

The testing will, amongst other things, determine if the gun has been used at all and if it has when/where it was used. 

The four men, all aged 21, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The VCTF officers who carried out the stop were part of a planned armed supported patrol under Operation Viper made-up of officers from the North West Basic Command Unit (BCU), the Specialist Firearms Command, the Road and Transport Command’s Crime Team, the Dogs Unit and VCTF.

Operation Viper was launched in 2016 and carries out regular activity, such as armed supported patrols, to tackle gun crime in the capital.

Commander for the North West Basic Command Unit (BCU) Chief Superintendent Roy Smith said: 

“This is another example of why the use of stop and search is so crucial in allowing us to best protect the communities of London and continue bearing down on violence.

“The instincts of these officers and the subsequent use of stop and search resulted in a deadly, loaded firearm being taken off our streets. I wholeheartedly believe that this firearm would have gone on to seriously injure, or even kill, somebody.

“I am really grateful to all of the officers who came together united with one mission: to reduce violence across the capital.

“This also serves as a reminder of the dangers faced daily by the men and women of the Met – they come to work every day with an absolute commitment to fighting crime and often put their safety on the line to protect others. I, like all Londoners, am grateful and humbled by their everyday heroism.”

So far in London alone, over 80 people have been murdered in what has been one of the busiest years for officers when it comes to deterring, detecting, and investigating gun and knife enabled crime. 

The family of Teshan Daniel, a 20-year-old male who was stabbed in the heart for ‘looking at someone the wrong way’, have called for more stop and searches to be carried out to deter people from carrying weapons. 

Teshan was on his way to watch an Arsenal game when he was murdered in cold blood by Alex Lanning who was out on licence at the time having previously stabbed someone in Brighton. 

Tashan was an up-and-coming athlete who had a very promising career ahead of him before his life was taken. 

Lanning stabbed Tashan through the heart with a serrated knife that is used by pilots to cut through toughened perspex plastic should their aircraft ditch in the sea.

 

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