London mayoral candidate Susan Hall wants officers armed with knife wands

8 April 2024, 14:05 | Updated: 8 April 2024, 14:32

Susan Hall is against reducing stop and search
Susan Hall is against reducing stop and search. Picture: Getty Images

By Flaminia Luck

Susan Hall, the Conservative mayoral candidate for London, has called for police to carry knife wands amid rising knife crime.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Ms Hall said we have to get a "grip on crime in London" and wants all officers to be armed with a knife wand.

The device, often used at airports, can be used to detect whether people are carrying knives, weapons or other concealed metal objects.

"That would be ideal as some communities that don't want police officers putting their hands in their pockets etc would feel much more comfortable if a kife wand is just waved across somebody.

"They can then see if they're carrying a knife or a gun," she said.

Susan Hall wants officers armed with a knife wand
Susan Hall wants officers armed with a knife wand. Picture: Getty

Ms Hall also said she is the "opposite" of some candidates who have called for a reduction in the use of the tactic, when quizzed by reporter Fraser Knight on Monday.

Stop and search is a controversional method of searching individuals if a police officer has "reasonable grounds" to suspect they may be carrying items such as illegal drugs or a weapon.

She described the practice as a "very, very good method of getting knives of our streets".

"I cannot imagine any Londoner would not think it's a good idea getting knives of our streets with knife crime rising," she said.

Read more: Murder probe after 15-year-old boy stabbed to death at shopping centre

Stop and search is considered controversial because some argue that black people and other ethnic minority groups are targeted unfairly.

In the year to April 2022, police made 27 stop and searches for every 1,000 black people, compared with six for every 1,000 white people, data shows.

Ms Hall also said she wants to get "trust and confidence" back in the police, and wants to put more officers on the streets.

Sadiq Khan And Rachel Reeves Launch New London Growth Plan
Sadiq Khan has criticised the use of stop and search in the past. Picture: Getty

Mr Khan has previously said that he supports the police deploying stop and search powers "provided they are used lawfully, proportionately and with professionalism".

He also said he recognised "the disproportionate impact stop and search can have on some communities", adding that it was "vital" that the Met had "the trust and confidence of all Londoners."

Read more: Detectives hunt student 'influencer' over murder after mother, 27, was stabbed to death in Bradford beside her baby

Last year, Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said stop and search is in the police "armoury" but can burn through trust.

The comment came after Suella Braverman urged police to increase the use of the method to stop the "scourge" of weapons on the streets.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Labour MP Chris Webb 'attacked and mugged' near London flat by phone snatching gang

Labour MP Chris Webb 'attacked and mugged' near London flat by phone snatching gang

The White House has been barricaded and restaurants and stores boarded up as tensions rise over the election.

Washington DC braces for unrest as White House is barricaded and stores boarded up ahead of US election

Sir Chris Hoy said 'if you're over the age of 45, go and ask your doctor' for screening

Sir Chris Hoy calls for men to be offered prostate cancer screening from the age of 45 after his terminal diagnosis

Kamala Harris went door-knocking in Pennsylvania on the night before the election

Kamala Harris surprises residents in Pennsylvania as she goes door-knocking in final bid to win votes

Nearly 600 police officers sacked in a year amid as shocking figures reveal extent of misconduct crackdown

Nearly 600 police officers sacked in a year as shocking figures reveal extent of misconduct crackdown

Hundreds of people died in the devastating flooding in Spain

British man who survived Valencia floods describes hearing his neighbours’ horrifying final screams before they died

Amy Dowden said she was ‘heartbroken' as she left this year's Strictly Come Dancing

Amy Dowden says her ‘heart is breaking’ after she confirmed she will not return to Strictly

Anthony Scaramucci said the row between Trump and Labour would blow over

'Anglophile' Trump's row with Starmer will have 'no impact' on wider relations with UK, Anthony Scaramucci says

Nick Ferrari attends his first Trump rally in Pennsylvania as he meets the crowd in 'the poorest city in the United States'

Nick Ferrari attends his first Trump rally in Pennsylvania as he meets the crowd in 'the poorest city in the US'

Exclusive
Nick Ferrari bumps into Nigel Farage in Pennsylvania as he reflects on Trump's "remarkable" foreign policy achievements

Nick Ferrari bumps into Nigel Farage in Pennsylvania as he reflects on Trump's 'near-death' experience

Live
US Presidential Election 2024 LIVE: Millions of Americans head to the polls as election day arrives

US Presidential Election 2024 LIVE: Millions of Americans head to the polls in the final race for the White House

Proud Boys claim they will go to voting places as Trump repeats election fraud lies.

Proud Boys making plans to mobilise as Trump repeats election fraud lies

File photo of a real NHS dentist

Desperate Brits fall for scam 'fake NHS dentists' amid years-long waits for appointments

The Kremlin is suspected of plotting the attack

'Parcel bombs' that blew up in warehouse were 'rehearsal' for Russian explosion attack on flight to US

Keir Starmer is not set to ban smoking in pub gardens, contrary to earlier reports

Cigarettes will not be banned in pub gardens under new Labour plan create 'smoke-free generation'

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Reading, Pennsylvania

Trump threatens Mexico with 100% tariffs unless it cracks down on border crossings