Recommendation JB-15.26: Alternative to life hammer for window entry during armed operations
From Report into the Death of Jermaine Baker, published 5 July 2022.
Recommendation
Consideration should be given by the MPS, Home Office and the NPCC to finding a more suitable solution for smashing windows during the course of an armed operation, so that an officer who is holding a firearm does not need to take their hand off their main weapon to utilise a life hammer.
In brief (written by this site)
The Metropolitan Police Service stated in October 2022 that its firearms officers no longer use glass hammers during armed operations, having issued officers with extendable X-ball devices for short-range use and teams with longer devices operated at a distance, enabling officers closer to the vehicle to maintain firearms cover without removing their hands from their weapons (Metropolitan Police Service response, Oct 2022). The record holds no update since the Metropolitan Police Service's response of October 2022 (Metropolitan Police Service response, Oct 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
MPS firearms no longer use a glass hammer to smash windows in the course of an armed operation. Following an internal review and resourcing exercise, each firearms officer has now been issued with an extendable X-ball device, which can be used more easily with one hand at short ranges. Each firearms team has also been issued with a longer device that can be used by a team member at a distance, enabling officers closer to the vehicle to maintain firearms cover in the usual way, without removing their hands from their weapons.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Metropolitan Police Service has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Metropolitan Police Service
Response