Safer Schools Officers (SSOs) were completing after school patrols around a school and as they turned a corner they was three males, all with weapons described as knives and an axe. The SSOs immediately ran towards the group causing them to starburst.

One suspect was detained although he threw the knife during the foot chase. Emergency Response officers also attended quickly to the 'urgent assistance' request, but sadly the knife and the other suspects weren’t found. The officers involved all displayed great teamwork in assisting their colleagues with CCTV enquiries, booking in of the suspect, taking statements, report writing and the interview. 

The suspect was in custody over night until sufficient evidence was collected to Charge. The officers came in the next day and worked really hard in conducting the further enquiries. The suspect was charged and remanded and subsequently pleaded guilty at court.

Had the SSOs not been there, there would have been a serious injury or death and am incredibly proud of my officers running towards armed assailants outnumbered. I am incredibly proud of my team for banding together to support their colleague and get the evidence for the charge. I will be writing up a QSR for Amy and Marc.

There was no intel to suggest this may happen and the suspect we have is not linked to the school. However this happened right by the school at kicking out time with large numbers of students and parents around. The school and parents were reassured that their schools officers were there and were able to deal with this. This highlights how fundamentally important Safer Schools teams are for the Met as stand alone teams.