Shots fired at MPS officers
Detectives are appealing for information and witnesses after a firearm was reportedly discharged in the direction of plain-clothed officers in North West London.
The ten officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) North West Violence Suppression Unit were responding to reports of a large gathering on the Grahame Park Estate in Colindale on Thursday evening (March 18).
They approached a group of approximately six males, believed to be local to the area, who immediately ran off. The officers gave chase on foot.
During this chase, it is believed that a firearm was discharged a number of times by one of the suspects towards the unarmed officers.
Fortunately, nobody was injured, although officers were understandably shaken by the incident, said the MPS.
Further police resources, including armed response vehicles, were deployed to the scene and a thorough search of the area was conducted.
Detectives from the MPS’s Specialist Crime North Command are investigating the circumstances of the incident are appealing to the public for information to identify and locate those involved.
Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Alger said: “The message is clear that any levels of violence against our colleagues who serve the public and keep our communities safe will not be tolerated. We are committed to finding those involved and fully investigating the circumstances.
“The repercussions of this split-second action could have been grave – we could potentially have been dealing with a murder investigation. Nobody should go to work fearing that they may never return home.
“We are seeking the help of the public to identify the group of around six males who are believed to have resorted to extreme violence when pursued by police.”
She said they were encouraging anyone who may have security, dashcam or doorcam footage, or any information relating to the incident or suspect group, to get in touch.
In the past 12 months, there have been 7,140 recorded assaults on MPS officers – an increase of 19.1 per cent on the previous year.
The level and extent of violence faced by police in the execution of their duty is an ever-present concern among officers who work hard, daily, to keep Londoners safe, said the MPS.
In addition, incidents of this type can have long-term physical and psychological effects on officers, it added.
A 49-year-old man was arrested nearby on suspicion of ‘constructive possession’ of a firearm, assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis. He remains in custody at a North London police station but is not believed to be linked to the suspect group of males.