The incident, which occurred late on Tuesday, 31 March 2026, has resulted in five armed officers being stripped of their frontline duties.
1. "I Could Not Believe My Eyes"
The breach was uncovered when the partner of local resident Jordan Griffiths spotted a suspicious, heavy holdall by the kerbside near the Mayor's residence at approximately 9:40 PM.
Speaking to The Sun, Mr Griffiths described the moment he opened the bag:
"My partner saw the bag sitting in the road... she went over to it and kicked it to see what it might be. But it was really heavy and didn't move. I took it upstairs and put it on my bed... I could not believe my eyes. There was a handgun in the front pocket and a submachine gun in the main part."
The bag reportedly contained:
A Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun.
A Glock semi-automatic pistol.
A Taser device.
Multiple rounds of live ammunition.
2. The Met’s Response
Scotland Yard confirmed that officers arrived to recover the weapons within seven minutes of Mr Griffiths' 999 call. The Telegraph has noted that the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) is now reviewing how such a catastrophic lapse in security occurred.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated:
"At this stage, it is believed the bag was misplaced by on-duty officers a short time before the member of the public located it. We are urgently reviewing the circumstances and recognise the concern this may cause."
3. A "Very Serious" Incident
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan, who receives 24-hour police protection due to long-standing threats, described the event as a "very serious incident." They added that the Mayor expects the Met to "take all steps to ensure an incident like this never occurs again."
The breach comes at a time of heightened security in the capital, with The Telegraph highlighting growing pressure on the Met's Specialist Protection Command (RaSP) over basic operational errors.