These police officers fear that this case will mark a turning point in the way the justice system views cases in which they use their weapons.
No gun, no trial. Several armed London police officers have decided to give up carrying weapons since one of them was charged with murder in the shooting death of a young black man a year ago.
On Thursday, a police officer was taken to court and charged with the murder of Chris Kaba, a 24-year-old young man. On September 5, he was struck by a bullet through the windshield of his car, whose license plate matched that of a vehicle linked to a firearms incident in previous days. He died in hospital a few hours later. The suspended police officer was placed under judicial supervision.
Around a hundred police officers were affected
Most of London’s 34,000 police officers are unarmed. “Many of them are concerned” about the potential consequences of these prosecutions, a Scotland Yard spokesman said. “They are concerned” that they “mark a change in the way the decisions they make in the most difficult circumstances are judged,” a London Police spokesman said. “A certain number of officers” have decided to give up their powers as armed police “in order to have time to reflect on their position,” the spokesman continued, indicating that this “number has increased in the last 48 hours.” According to the BBC, there are more than 100 of them.
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London police have a “significant capacity” of armed officers stationed across the British capital and in locations such as Parliament, diplomatic buildings and airports, the spokesman said. “Our priority is the safety of the public,” he added, noting that Scotland Yard is considering emergency options if necessary.
On Saturday, London Police Chief Mark Rowley said he had met with 70 armed officers and found their concerns “understandable.” London police are facing a crisis of public confidence after a series of crimes committed by police officers, including the rape and murder of a 33-year-old woman in March 2021. Scotland Yard led to the suspension or reassignment of 1,000 police officers.