- By Aoife Walsh and Joe Inwood
- BBC News
September 24, 2023, 4:40 p.m. BST
Updated 48 minutes ago
Image source, family handout
image description,
Chris Kaba was hit by a shot fired by a Met officer into the vehicle he was driving
The Ministry of Defense is offering armed soldiers to support London police after dozens of Met officers handed in their weapons.
More than 100 police officers applied for permits to carry firearms, a source told the BBC.
The Met Police said the action was taken after an officer was charged with the murder of unarmed Chris Kaba, 24.
He died after being shot in south London last year.
A Met Police officer appeared in court on Thursday.
In a statement, the Met said some officers were “concerned” about the impact the charging decision would have “on them”.
The Ministry of Defense said it had received a request from the Home Office – known as Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) – “to provide routine emergency counter-terrorism support to the Metropolitan Police as required”.
In emergency situations, a MACA is offered to the police or the NHS – the military helped medical staff during the Covid pandemic and covered striking border staff and paramedics last year.
The Met said it was an “emergency option” and would only be used “in certain circumstances and where an appropriate police response is not available”.
Military personnel are not “used for routine police tasks,” it said.
The move comes after Interior Minister Suella Braverman called for a review of armed policing.
She said people “rely on our brave firearms officers to keep us safe.”
“In the interest of public safety, they must make split-second decisions under extraordinary pressure.”
She said officials had her “full support.”
“I will do everything in my power to support them,” she added.
Mr Kaba died following a police operation in Streatham Hill on September 5, 2022.
He was hit by a shot fired by a Met police officer into the vehicle he was driving and died in hospital the following day, an inquest heard.
The construction worker was months away from becoming a father when he was shot.
His death sparked a series of protests.