The death of Chris Kaba, a young black man shot and killed by a London police officer, in September 2022, gave rise to several demonstrations to demand ” justice “ and reignited the debate on racism within Scotland Yard. The police officer responsible for the shooting was suspended, placed under judicial supervision and charged with this murder, the prosecution announced on Wednesday September 20.
Chris Kaba, a 24-year-old young man, was shot on September 5, 2022 through the windshield of the car he was driving, whose registration matched that of a vehicle linked to an incident involving firearms in the preceding days. He died a few hours later in hospital.
Concerned about potential consequences of prosecution
Since this indictment, many armed police officers from the London police have decided to give up carrying weapons. Most of London’s 34,000 police officers are unarmed. Among those who are, “many are worried” of the potential consequences of these proceedings, said a Scotland Yard spokesperson.
“They are concerned” by the fact that these consequences can mark “a change in how the decisions they make in the most difficult circumstances will be judged”said a London police spokesperson.
“A number of officers” have decided to renounce their armed police authorization “time to think about their position”continued the spokesperson, specifying that this “number has increased in the last 48 hours”. According to BBC, there are more than 100.
Damaged reputation
The London police have a “significant capacity” of armed officers, deployed across the British capital, and in places such as Parliament, diplomatic premises, airports, said the spokesperson. “Our priority is public safety”, he added, specifying that Scotland Yard is examining emergency options if necessary. On Saturday, London Police Chief Mark Rowley said he had met with 70 armed officers and assessed their concern “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 Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman, by Wayne Couzens, in March 2021. Operation aimed at cleaning up the situation within the ranks of Scotland Yard resulted in the suspension or reassignment of 1,000 police officers.