LONDON (AP) — London’s police force announced on Sunday that several officers are refusing to carry out armed patrols following the murder charge against a colleague in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man.
In a shocking incident, a Metropolitan Police marksman was charged with murder over the death of Chris Kaba, 24, in September 2022. Kaba was killed when officers in an unmarked vehicle pursued and stopped his car, and he was struck by a single bullet fired through the windshield.
This case has once again raised concerns about institutional racism within the London police department. The family of Chris Kaba welcomed the murder charge against the officer, who has not been publicly named. The officer has been granted conditional bail and is expected to go on trial next year.
About one in 10 of London’s police officers carry firearms, and those who do undergo special training.
The Metropolitan Police force stated that “a number of officers have decided to step back from armed duties while they contemplate their position.” The officers are concerned that the murder charge “indicates a change in how their decisions in the most challenging circumstances will be evaluated.”
According to the BBC, over 100 officers have surrendered their firearm permits, and police from neighboring forces have been called in to assist with patrolling London.
The force assured that it still has a “significant firearms capability” but has requested assistance from the Ministry of Defense for “counterterrorism support if necessary.”
The request means that soldiers may be called upon to perform specific tasks that the police are unable to handle, but they will not be engaged in routine police work or have the power of arrest.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman, responsible for policing in the U.K.’s Conservative government, pledged to review armed policing to ensure that armed officers “have the confidence to perform their duties.”
“In the interest of public safety, they have to make split-second decisions under extraordinary pressure,” Braverman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They mustn’t fear ending up in the dock for carrying out their duties. Officers risking their lives to keep us safe have my full support, and I will do everything in my power to assist them.”
Fatal shootings by police in the U.K. are uncommon. According to official statistics, armed officers in England and Wales fired weapons at people only four times in the year leading up to March 2022.
It is also extremely rare for British police officers to be charged with murder or manslaughter for actions performed while on duty.
In one of the few recent cases, a police constable was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2021 for the killing of former professional soccer player Dalian Atkinson. Atkinson died after being shot by a stun gun and kicked in the head during an altercation. The officer, Benjamin Monk, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.
Kaba’s shooting occurred during a period of intense scrutiny of the Metropolitan Police. In 2021, an officer pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping, kidnapping, and killing Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman who went missing while walking home from a friend’s house. Another officer, who worked in the same parliamentary and diplomatic protection unit, pleaded guilty in January to committing dozens of rapes between 2003 and 2020.
An independent review conducted in March revealed that the London force has lost public confidence due to deep-seated racism, misogyny, and homophobia.
The force has expressed its commitment to addressing misconduct and has dismissed approximately 100 officers for gross misconduct in the past year. However, removing all corrupt officers could take several years, as stated by the force last week.
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