Hundreds more Metropolitan Police officers have been given Tasers after the Hainault sword attack.
Around 458 additional frontline staff were accredited to carry the 50,000-volt stun guns since 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin was killed on his way to school, according to data released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Scotland Yard said Tasers had been crucial in preventing further loss of life when officers used them to bring down Marcus Monzo during his 20-minute rampage.
Monzo, 37, fatally slashed Daniel with a samurai sword as he left his home in east London on April 30 last year.
He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years for murder and attacking three more members of the public and two police officers.
A force spokeswoman said: “Tasers are an effective piece of kit.
“As we’ve seen from the footage from the cameras on the officers at the scene of the Hainault sword attack, the use of a Taser was the most effective way for unarmed officers to incapacitate the suspect from a distance and bring him to the ground.”
After Daniel’s killing, several reviews were carried out around officer safety, training and post-incident care, the Standard can reveal.
Officers were also given a new focus on situational awareness and tactical options when confronting armed suspects, alongside reminders of their powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, which governs how and when they can stop, search, detain and arrest suspects.
Home Office data shows tasers were deployed more than 33,000 times across England and Wales in the year ending March 2024, though in most incidents the device was not discharged. Instead, officers often rely on the “red-dot” warning to secure compliance without firing.
The Met added: “A proactive decision was made by the officers at the scene during the Hainault attack to pursue the suspect in order to detain him and we commend them for their courage.
“Had they not actively pursued him, many more people could have lost their lives.”
:: Investigation and additional reporting by Bill Curtis
