Demonstrators gather outside New Scotland Yard in London during a protest over the killing of Chris Kaba on September 17, 2022. Chris Kaba, 24, was shot dead by a Met Police Officer after a police pursuit of a car ended in Streatham Hill on the night of September 5, 2022. No firearms were found at the scene. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an ongoing homicide investigation.
The UK's Home Office has ordered a review into armed policing after Metropolitan Police (Met) officers in London returned their weapons in fear of being charged with murder.
The review was ordered after an officer was charged for shooting unarmed 24-year-old Chris Kaba dead in Streatham Hill last year, the BBC reported.
The Met stated that many of its officers were worried about how the charges would impact their jobs. An unnamed source also told the BBC that over 100 officers have handed in what was known in the service as a ticket permitting them to carry guns.
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Braverman Backs the Met
However, British Home Secretary Suella Braverman assured officers they should not fear ending up in prison for carrying out their duties. She added in a statement Sunday (September 24) that officers are forced to make decisions that have repercussions either way to keep communities safe.
Braverman added that officers have her full backing in the performance of their duties.
An inquest into the shooting was told that Kaba was reportedly shot during a police operation and died in hospital the following day. The deceased construction worker was supposed to be a father in a few months' time.
His death prompted a number of protests, specifically from London's Black communities.
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