Spit Hoods in the Met Police

The Met Police wants to put bags over people’s heads to restrain them. The controversial bags are called ‘spit hoods’ and 38 Degrees member Clare thinks the inhumane restraints shouldn’t be used in London.

The Mayor of London has just intervened and paused the Met’s plan to use spit hoods. He wants to know what Londoners think before it’s approved. If thousands of us sign Clare’s petition right now, while it’s fresh in the news, we could convince Sadiq Khan to pull the plug on the Met’s plans to use spit hoods completely.

Here’s what Clare says:

“The police already have handcuffs, batons, leg restraints and can use force. Do they really need to put bags over people’s heads too?

Major police forces around the UK don’t allow the use spit hoods – and they shouldn’t be allowed to be used in London.”

The restraints are even being used on children. In Suffolk, police put a spit hood on an 11-year-old girl with serious learning difficulties – and she’s still recovering from the trauma. It’s part of a trend of spit hoods being overly used on ethnic minorities, those with mental health challenges and those with learning difficulties.

The Met want to use the spit hoods inside police stations, away from the public eye. If the Met Police aren’t prepared to use spit hoods in public, then they shouldn’t be using them at all. Together, we can convince the Mayor of London spit hoods are too controversial to use anywhere.

Sign Clare’s petition below:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/london-spit-hood