Firearms coverage in London remains "significantly less than normal" after dozens of officers downed tools over the weekend. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that some officers were "extremely anxious" over the weekend, mainly driven by concerns from their families. Report by Covellm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 This weekend, final decision last week, officers are extremely anxious.
00:03 I think it's important to put this in context.
00:07 A lot of this is driven by families, many of them are under pressure from their partners,
00:11 wives, husbands, parents, children, who actually are saying,
00:18 I'm worried about what you might go through based on your job,
00:20 I'm not sure we're up for this as a family,
00:22 given the severity of it and the longevity that it might go.
00:28 The core of this issue is not protest,
00:30 the core of this issue is a real personal anxiety and that influence,
00:34 and that's what's caused the challenges.
00:36 The numbers who've said, I'm not sure I can carry a firearm at the moment
00:39 because I'm so anxious, has varied across those areas.
00:43 Over the weekend, it's had a very significant effect on our capability.
00:49 We're now in a position where the numbers are strengthening.
00:58 We can provide credible firearms cover for London,
01:03 but I must be honest, it's still significantly less than normal,
01:06 which will create some difficult choices.