History of the Metropolitan Police Service by the end of the 19th century. During the 1860s, the flintlock pistols that had been purchased in 1829 were decommissioned from service, being superseded by 622 Beaumont–Adams revolvers firing the .450 cartridge which were loaned from the army stores at the Tower of London following the Clerkenwell bombing. In 1883, a ballot was carried out to gather information on officers' views on whether they wished to be armed, and 4,430 out of 6,325 officers serving on outer divisions requested to be issued with revolvers. The now obsolete Adams revolver was returned to stores for emergencies, and the Bulldog 'Metropolitan
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal was soon hired to write a column for "The Times of London", another publication of News International. Home Secretary Theresa May, expressed concerns over the closeness of the relationship between News International and the police. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg expressed concerns about growing public perception of police corruption. Labor MP Paul Farrelly said the meetings demonstrated "unhealthy ties with the Murdoch organisation." The report of the Home Affairs Select Committee noted a "level of social interaction which took place between senior Metropolitan Police Officers and executives at News International while investigations were or should have been being undertaken into