Lawyer claims ‘policing cannot be reformed’ as officers hand in firearms

A criminal and police actions lawyer has said “policing cannot be reformed” after more than 100 firearms officers handed in their weapons permits.

The officers turned in their permits in response to a firearms officer being charged with the murder of Chris Kaba, who was shot dead in Kirkstall Gardens in Streatham last September, after police stopped the vehicle he was driving.

Ife Thompson, a 28-year-old criminal and police actions lawyer from Brixton who works at 1MCB Chambers in Holborn, said: “The Met’s response to their own officer being charged with murder supports the arguments that policing is an institution which cannot be reformed.

“There has long been a practice and culture of police impunity when a citizen is killed by the police in the UK.

“It is a practice that is embedded with anti-Blackness as Black people disproportionally die at the hands of the police.

“There must be due process in place to ensure there are independent investigations to ensure accountability in all cases of excessive use of force by police.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced yesterday there would be a review into armed policing and Met chief, Sir Mark Rowley, says he has “welcomed” it.

He has called for the policies and practices of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to be addressed, with a focus on the threshold for investigating police use of force.

The Met chief said he is“concerned about the position firearms officers are in and that officers are “worried” about how the CPS decision on the officer who shot Chris Kaba impacts them.

In an open letter to the home secretary, Sir Mark said that the progress being made to deliver change in the Met is being “undermined” by a system “not set up to help officers succeed.”

He said: “Even if they stick to the tactics and training they have been given, they will face years of protracted legal proceedings which impact on their personal wellbeing and that of their family.”

Deborah Coles, director of INQUEST – a charity that provides expertise on state related deaths and is helping with representation for Mr Kaba’s family – said: “Police cannot be judge, jury and executioner and must not be above the law.

“Already we know that accountability for officers involved in wrongdoing and deaths is exceedingly rare. 

“Mark Rowley’s asks to the Home Secretary, including overturning two recent Supreme Court judgements, would make accountability for police use of force virtually impossible.

“Effectively giving firearms officers a licence to kill.

“In calling for a review, the Home Secretary seems to have forgotten the Casey Review published in March, which laid bare the uniquely toxic culture within the firearms unit in the Met. Addressing this should be the priority for the Home Secretary and the Commissioner.”

On Saturday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) offered military support to the Met in the wake of its firearms officer shortage, “should it be needed”.

The Met has since announced that “external support” will no longer be needed after a “sufficient” number of firearms officers retuned to their armed duties.

Pictured top: Ife Thompson at the UN (Picture: Ife Thompson)