§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of CS gas on the number of assaults and injuries to police officers in London. [23934]
§ Mr. MichaelThe information is not available to make a full assessment of the impact of the introduction of CS gas on the number of assaults and injuries to police officers in London. Following trials in six operational common units, the Commissioner approved the issue of CS spray across the Metropolitan Police in October 1997. Fifty of the 97 Operational Command Units are now using CS sprays. The remainder are expected to do so by the end of March 1998. The Commissioner informs me that between July 1997 and January 1998, Metropolitan Police officers discharged CS spray on 128 separate incidents. In 102 of those incidents, officers were uninjured.