On only his third patrol as a newly appointed Special Constable for British Transport Police, Monmouth MP David Davies was involved in a firearms drama when a man was found in possession of a loaded gun at London Bridge station.

On 14 March, Special Constable David Davies was patrolling at London Bridge with a colleague. They spotted a man acting suspiciously, went over to talk to him and ended up arresting him for a travel fraud.

As PC Davies searched him, he found a loaded handgun and, following his training, alerted his colleague by shouting “gun”.

The suspect and weapon were quickly secured and taken to custody. There, a search of his bag revealed a taser stun gun. A subsequent house search unearthed yet another gun.

‘When I found the weapon, the words of my instructor rang in my ears and I immediately put it down and warned my colleague by shouting “gun”,’ said David Davies.

‘This shows what being a police officer is about in today’s Britain. You have no idea what you are going to have to deal with next.’

David Davies is Conservative MP and Welsh Assembly Member for Monmouth and was sworn in as a Special Constable in March. BTP currently has around 250 Special Constables with some 60 covering the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway. They are expected to give a minimum of four hours a week averaged out over a year.

‘The hours I can put in as a Special are, I am sure, going to be of immense value to me,’ said Mr Davies. ‘They will give me front line experience that I can bring back to the House of Commons to help inform our debates on issues around crime and disorder.’