Commons confiscates hundreds of potential weapons

It’s five years today since the Westminster terror attack. Outside the gates of parliament stands the memorial to PC Keith Palmer, stabbed to death, defending the place where he worked. And the policemen and women at the Palace has clearly been working overtime to prevent a repeat attack from ever occurring again. For Mr S has obtained figures from the parliamentary security services which show that almost 2,000 items have been confiscated from going onto the estate since the beginning of 2019.

The bulk of these are 1,874 so-called ‘legal items’ such as hundreds of pen-knives, padlocks and scissors. These items are returned to the owner upon their departure from the estate; those not collected are taken to lost property, with most likely to cause only limited damage. Knitting needles, water pistols, a dart set, harmonica and novelty toilet roll would probably not have done even that.