Britain’s biggest police force has stood down a plan to use military back-up after enough firearms officers returned for it to cover counter-terrorism duties.
Dozens of Metropolitan Police officers stepped away from armed duties after one of their colleagues was charged with murder last week.
Cover was drafted in from neighbouring forces after the BBC reported that around 100 of the Met’s 2,595 marksmen were refusing to perform their armed roles.
The military also agreed to help, but soldiers do not have the authority to be used for routine policing and can only be used in the case of a counter-terrorism attack or for guarding certain locations such as nuclear sites.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “On Saturday, the Ministry of Defence agreed to provide the Met with counter-terrorism support as a contingency option.
“As of lunchtime on Monday, the number of officers who had returned to armed duties was sufficient for us to no longer require external assistance to meet our counter-terrorism responsibilities.”