Hundreds of retired British detectives are being asked whether they would return to work, as Scotland Yard faces a staffing crisis in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire and the London Bridge terror attack.
In a letter to some 400 recently retired detectives, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey wrote: "The nature of the response is placing certain skills in high demand, particularly across the investigative, counter terrorism and firearms commands.
"If you have considered the scope for a time-limited return to the Met in any capacity - either as a police officer, civilian investigator or volunteer (either warranted or non-warranted) - we would of course be open to discussions with you," Sky News quoted Mackey as saying.
He said his letter was prompted by other retired officers who had already offered to return to work to help out.
Mackey proposed the plan because he said the force was experiencing "unprecedented demand" on its detective capacity.
In June he said the force was stretched and would need more funding to cope with any further terror attacks.
"The Deputy Commissioner has written to retired/ex detective constables and those on career breaks within the last two years and whose personal circumstances may lend themselves to returning to work," the BBC quoted a Met spokesman as saying.
"We would seek to employ them in ways that will suit both the organisation and themselves.
"There is no pressure being placed upon them but it is clear from the letters we have received that many would be willing to help," the spokesman said.
Ken Marsh, chair of the executive committee of the Police Federation that represents constables, sergeants and inspectors, said: "We're on the verge of being broken."
He told the London Assembly police funding and budget meeting that 650 officers had resigned in the past 12 months, which was an "unprecedented" level.
"We haven't got the levels of skills we need when you're asking 200 plus officers to go to Grenfell to help deal with the investigation there," he added.
"So if we don't maintain a balance financially of where we are, how do we keep doing what we've doing? And my colleagues are telling me that they're broken and they've had enough because they can't see how we progress from here."
He added: "With all these incidents, it's the aftermath that we find very hard to deal with."
Marsh said following the terror attacks in Westminster, London Bridge and Finsbury Park, plus the Grenfell fire incident, the force had accrued 8,500 days owed to officers.
Only 10 per cent of officers in each borough can be on leave at a time which meant that the officers cannot take the days they are legally owed, he said, expressing concern over the growing trend of cancelling the rest days of police officers.
"We need to look at that very carefully as that's what causes the endemic issue of sick officers," Marsh said.
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