Hundreds of London police officers have taken a bold stance by refusing to patrol the streets with guns. This extraordinary act of protest follows the recent charging of an officer in connection with the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old black man, Chris Kaba, adding to the already brewing crisis of public confidence in the London Metropolitan Police.
Over the weekend, up to 300 London Police officers made a significant statement by surrendering their permits that authorized them to carry guns while on duty, as reported by the BBC.
This protest by the London Police officers is in direct response to the murder charge filed against an officer, known only as NX121, in connection with the tragic death of Chris Kaba in September 2022. Kaba lost his life to a single gunshot wound while driving on a residential street in Streatham, South London.
Notably, Kaba was not a suspect in any ongoing police investigations; however, he was driving a vehicle “believed to be linked to a firearms (guns) incident that took place the previous day,” according to Dean Brown, the lead investigator from the Independent Office for Police Conduct, during an inquest held in October 2022.
Officer NX121 had previously been suspended from duty after the incident, but it was his recent murder charge that has incited indignation among fellow officers. A spokesperson for the London Police (the Met) expressed concerns among officers, stating, “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.”
London Police: Crisis of Public Trust Deepens
Chris Kaba’s family has welcomed the decision to charge the officer, emphasising the need for justice. His tragic death, which led to protests outside the Metropolitan Police’s headquarters, comes in the wake of an ongoing crisis of public confidence in the London police force.
The London police have faced a series of high-profile scandals, starting with the abduction, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer in 2021. The heavy-handed police response during a public vigil for Everard further fueled public outrage.
Subsequent reports of London Police officers taking and sharing photos of a crime scene in a London park where two black sisters had been fatally stabbed added to the growing concerns. An independent report commissioned in 2022 concluded that the London police force suffered from institutional sexism, racism, homophobia, and an inability to police itself.
A 2023 report by Chief Police Inspector Andy Cooke described the crimes committed by officers as atrocious and revealed that public confidence in the police was hanging by a thread.
Police officers in Britain typically do not carry guns routinely. The 2,500 Met officers authorised to carry guns are usually deployed for specialised missions such as counter-terrorism operations and site protection.
The protests and charges related to Chris Kaba’s death have caused a significant stir among officers, with some characterising it as a “show trial.” Notably, right-wing members of the government, including Home Secretary Suella Braverman, have supported the protesting officers. Braverman initiated a review of legal protections for officers on firearms duty with the backing of Met Chief Sir Mark Rowley. She emphasised the need for officers to make split-second decisions without fearing legal repercussions.
This extraordinary protest by London police officers has occurred amidst funding challenges that have created turmoil in other British public sectors. Under the Conservative government, the Met has faced substantial budget cuts, leading to a surge in national police resignations.
While the protest seemed exceptional, it also raised questions about the proportionality of London police officers renouncing firearms they had carried for years without ever needing to use them. At the peak of the protest, the Ministry of Defence, at the request of the Home Office, placed soldiers on standby to fill the void left by officers relinquishing firearms duties. However, by Monday, a sufficient number of London police officers had returned to firearms duty, leading to the withdrawal of the army’s standby status.