Armed police step back from duties after murder charge over Chris Kaba death

More than 100 police officers have handed in their tickets, an accreditation to permit them to carry firearms while on the job, according to the BBC.
Chris Kaba was shot and killed in south London in 2022 (INQUEST/PA)
PA Media
Rachel Lang24 September 2023

A large number of armed officers from the Metropolitan Police have stepped back from firearms duties in the wake of a murder charge over the shooting death of Chris Kaba.

Mr Kaba, 24, was unarmed when he was shot and killed in south London last year.

A Met Police officer appeared in court on Thursday in relation to the fatal shooting as senior officers, including the Police Commissioner, have been meeting with firearms officers in recent days to reflect on the murder charge.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Many are worried about how the decision impacts on them, on their colleagues and on their families.

“They are concerned that it signals a shift in the way the decisions they make in the most challenging circumstances will be judged.

“A number of officers have taken the decision to step back from armed duties while they consider their position. That number has increased over the past 48 hours.”

More than 100 police officers have handed in their tickets, an accreditation to permit them to carry firearms while on the job, according to the BBC.

The Met is supporting officers who have stepped back from firearms duties to help them “fully understand the genuinely held concerns that they have”, the spokesperson said.

“The Met has a significant firearms capability and we continue to have armed officers deployed in communities across London as well as at other sites including Parliament, diplomatic premises, airports etc.”

The spokesperson added: “Our priority is to keep the public safe. We are closely monitoring the situation and are exploring contingency options, should they be required.”

To deal with the police walkout, officers from neighbouring forces stepped up to help patrol the capital on Saturday night.

Mr Kaba, 24, died in Streatham Hill, south-east London, in September last year after he was shot through an Audi car windscreen.

The officer accused of his murder, named only as NX121 after a district judge granted an anonymity order, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and the Old Bailey on Thursday.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in