HUNDREDS of soldiers were secretly deployed to London over fears armed officers would walk out if Martyn Blake was convicted.
An emergency contingency plan was drafted as firearms officers in the Met’s MO19 Specialist Firearms Command threatened action.
Hundreds of soldiers were secretly deployed to London over fears armed officers would walk out if Martyn Blake was convicted of murder[/caption]
Sgt Blake was charged last year over the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba[/caption]
More than 300 cops had handed in their weapons when Sgt Blake was charged last year.
Sources confirmed many Met gun police planned to hand in their blue tickets.
The Sun can reveal Royal Regiment of Scotland troops and military drivers from the Engineers and Royal Logistics Corp were put on stand-by.
A source said: “There’s a lot of anger among armed officers about how Sgt Blake was treated.”
Ex-Met PC Tony Long said: “It’s unfair to ask officers to carry firearms for public protection and treat them as criminals if they use them.”
The soldiers were due to go on armed patrols in Land Rovers and white vans as they are not trained for police vehicles.
The Home Office asked for help from the Army at the request of the Met Police.
A source said the so-called “presence patrols” were designed to reassure the public.
The emergency plan was codenamed Operation Temperer.
