When is it acceptable for the police to kill? How do we regulate their use of lethal force? What is the right balance between accountability and legal protection for the police? These questions arise after a weekend in which up to 300 authorised firearms officers (AFOs) handed back their firearms permits to the Met, doing so in response to the prosecution of an officer in connection with the death of Chris Kaba.
Many have now returned and contingency measures, including AFO support from other forces and counterterrorism support from HM Armed Forces, have been shelved. However, a sudden stand-down by one-in-ten Met firearms officers is a significant event and likely to have far-reaching consequences.
The story begins on 5 September 2022, when 24-year-old Kaba was killed by a single gunshot wound sustained during an attempted police stop on the Audi he was driving. One week later, the Met announced the suspension of the AFO who fired the shot.
