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Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that the Metropolitan Police will not be able to use water cannon – and the devices will not be used elsewhere in England, Wales or Scotland.

The Daily Mail reports that Mrs May rejected proposals to use water cannon in instances of civil unrest, after considering medical evidence and other factors. The suggestion that water cannon could be used was made after the 2011 riots across London and elsewhere in England.

Northern Ireland already uses water cannon to quell civil unrest.

Last year, London Mayor Boris Johnson caused controversy after he bought three second hand water cannon for the Metropolitan Police to use in the capital in the event of civil unrest such as the London riots.

Mr Johnson spent £200,000 on importing the devices from Germany, even though at the time it was not known whether the Home Secretary would grant permission for them to be used. The water cannon are also 25 years old and have undergone extensive repairs, it is reported.

Critics of the move claimed that Mr Johnson had potentially wasted taxpayers’ money.

On Wednesday (15/07/15), Mrs May told MPs she would not be lifting the ban on using water cannon “because it was too dangerous and would damage public trust”.

She added that medical evidence showed there were “serious medical risks” attached to deploying water canon – including spinal fractures and eye injuries. She also said that using water cannon could “make matters worse in a riot by attracting crowds to the police's weak spot”.

In “areas with a history of social unrest or mistrust of the police” water cannon might be “entirely counterproductive”, the Home Secretary added.

“This country has a proud history of policing by consent – and this is a decision which goes to its very heart,” Mrs May said.

“Since I became Home Secretary, I have been determined to give the police the powers and tools they need to cut crime and tackle disorder on our streets,” she added.

“But where the medical and scientific evidence suggests those powers could cause serious harm – where the operational case is not clear, and where the historic principle of policing by consent could be placed at risk – I will not give my agreement.

“The application for the authorisation of the Wasserwerfer 9000 water cannon does not meet this high threshold.”

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Home Secretary’s decision not to lift the ban on police using water cannon was “exactly right”.

“Today, on the main substance of your statement, I could not agree with you more – you are exactly right to reject the application from the police and the Mayor of London to use water cannon.

“I agree on each of the three counts you have made – you are right to take extremely seriously the safety and health risks from this kind of weapon.

“Water cannon has never been deployed in England, Scotland or Wales.

“No-one has put forward any justification for why that should change now,” Ms Cooper added.

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