The retired specialist firearms officers have handed in their fines. (File)
London:
A number of London police officers have stepped back from firearms duties after a fellow officer was charged with murder over the fatal shooting of a young black man, a police spokesman said on Sunday.
The highly unusual protest by officers prompted Home Affairs Minister Suella Braverman to emphasize that firearms officers must “make split-second decisions” and “not be afraid of ending up in the dock for carrying out their duties” .
Police in Britain are not routinely armed and the small proportion allowed to carry weapons are highly trained.
The specialist firearms officers who have stepped back, around 100 according to one report, have handed in their tags, an accreditation that allows them to carry weapons while on duty.
In London, in addition to incidents involving the public, they are deployed to protect locations such as parliament, diplomatic missions and airports.
The officers’ stand-down follows the court appearance last week of a London firearms officer, named only as NX121, who has been charged over the September 2022 death of 24-year-old Chris Kaba.
Kaba died hours after he was struck by a single shot fired at the vehicle he was riding in the Streatham area of south London.
A Met Police spokesperson said that “a number of officers have made the decision to step back from their armed duties while they consider their positions”, with numbers increasing in the past 48 hours.
“Many are concerned about the consequences of the decision for them, for their colleagues and for their families,” the spokesperson said.
“They are concerned that this signals a shift in how the decisions they make in the most challenging circumstances will be judged,” he said.
Family seeks justice
To help deal with the strike, firearms officers from neighboring forces stepped in on Saturday evening to help patrol the capital, the PA news agency reported.
The Met supported the officers and “fully understands the genuine concerns they have”, the Met spokesperson added.
He also said the Defense Ministry had agreed to provide counter-terrorism support.
“Armed forces will not be deployed for routine police duties,” he added. “We will continue to monitor the need for support.”
Following Kaba’s death, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters.
The man’s family welcomed the decision to charge the unnamed officer, saying they and the wider community “must see justice for Chris”.
INQUEST, a charity dealing with state-related deaths, said there have been 1,870 deaths in Britain in or after police custody or contact since 1990.
At that time, there had been only one successful prosecution of a police officer – for manslaughter in 2021 – and none for murder.
The Met, Britain’s largest police force, has been under pressure in recent years over a series of scandals, including the kidnap, rape and murder of a young woman by an officer on duty.
The force currently has around 1,000 officers suspended or on reduced duties while they are under investigation for alleged misconduct and incompetence.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
