Armed officers from other UK forces to help Met Police after revolt over Chris Kaba murder charge
Armed officers from other forces will be drafted in to support the Metropolitan Police as it faces a revolt.
Soldiers are also on standby after scores of Met Police officers stood down from firearms duties following a murder charge against one of their colleagues.
The force said “a number of officers have taken the decision to step back from armed duties while they consider their position” and “that number has increased over the past 48 hours”.
“To ensure that we can continue to keep the public safe and respond to any eventualities, from Saturday evening Met firearms officers will be supported by a limited number of armed officers from other UK forces,” the Met Police added.
The crisis has emerged after a police officer was charged with murder over the shooting of 24-year-old Chris Kaba, who was killed in September last year in Streatham Hill, south London.
A police officer has been charged with the murder of Chris Kaba (pictured)
The officer accused of his murder is named only as NX121 after a district judge granted an anonymity order.
The force’s commissioner Sir Mark Rowley welcomed a review into the situation by Home Secretary Suella Braverman to ensure armed officers “have the confidence to do their job”.
It was also backed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said armed officers need “clarity” about their legal powers.
Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to a community centre in Hertfordshire, Mr Sunak said armed officers are “making life or death decisions in a split-second to keep us safe” and “they deserve our gratitude for their bravery”.
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Will police get better legal protection?
He added: “Now it is important when they are using these legal powers that they do so with clarity, and they have certainty about what they are doing, especially given the lethality they are using.
“That is why the home secretary has asked her department to review the guidance that the officers are operating under to make sure it is robust and that it commands the confidence, not just of the officers, but of the public as well.
“Obviously it wouldn’t be right for me to speculate on ongoing cases, but that is what we are doing.”
‘London isn’t as safe as it was’
Tony Long, a former firearms officer with the Met Police, told Sky News London is now a less safe city, saying: “The only reason [Sir Mark Rowley is paying attention now] is because… they’ve withdrawn their services because of their concerns, and he’s left with a situation where he’s having to call in the military.
“He’s having to get much-lesser-trained officers to step up to do jobs that they’re literally not trained to do, and at the same time, try and convince you all… it’s business as usual.
“It isn’t business as usual – the public in London are not as safe as they would be if armed response vehicles, officers and counter-terror specialist firearms officers were being allowed to do their job.”
Read more:
Met chief’s letter to home secretary in full
Will this force change in how police shootings are reported?
‘Public expects us to be held to highest standards’
In his letter, Sir Mark suggested legal changes over the way self-defence is interpreted in police misconduct cases, the introduction of a criminal standard of proof for unlawful killing in inquests and inquiries, and changes to the threshold at which the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) can launch an investigation.
“It is essential that we have a system which commands the confidence of officers and the communities they serve,” he wrote.
“Of course, where wrongdoing takes place, the public expect us to be held to the highest standards.
“I have been clear on this in all areas of policing, and the use of force must be no exception.
“The system that judges officers’ actions should be rooted in integrity and decisions should be reached swiftly, competently and without fear or favour.
“A review is needed to address accountability mechanisms, including the policies and practices of the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), ideally with a focus on the threshold for investigating police use of force and involvement in pursuits.”
UK
Mother of Jools Sweeney, 14, who took his own life is fighting social media companies for his search history
A bereaved mother who has “absolutely no idea” why her son took his own life aged 14 is fighting social media companies to hand over his search history.
Jools Sweeney was found dead in April 2022. A coroner was unable to rule his death was a suicide as they were unable to prove he was in a “suicidal mood”, his mother Ellen Roome tells Sky News.
Ms Roome says he showed no signs of depression and police have ruled out any third-party involvement.
As a result, she says she has been left with “absolutely no idea why he isn’t here anymore”.
Having read about other teenagers taking their lives after viewing harmful content online, Ms Roome asked various social media companies for her son’s browsing history to shed light on why he died.
Ellen Roome and her son Jools Sweeney (right). Pic: Ellen Roome
But she says: “Since my son’s death, I have not been able to access information to see what my son was looking at that could have contributed to him taking his own life.
“Parents should have the right to full access to their child’s social media accounts either whilst they are still alive (to protect them) or if they die as in my case.”
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She launched a petition to have the issue debated in parliament. But in light of the general election on 4 July, all parliamentary petitions will be automatically closed on 30 May.
This leaves her with just days to reach her 100,000-signature target.
She tells Sky News: “It’s very ambitious but I need 85,000 signatures to hit my target which might give me access to Jools’s information to find out why he died.”
Asked about the impact of her son’s unexpected death, she adds: “It’s impossibly hard, it’s horrific, it consumes me.
“I have to try the only thing we haven’t tried and that is social media.
“It might not be that. But I don’t see why social media companies wouldn’t let me see if they’ve got nothing to hide.”
Pic: Ellen Roome
Quarter of children addicted to devices
A recent House of Commons Education Committee report suggested there has been a 52% increase in children’s screen time between 2020 and 2022, with a quarter said to be using their devices in an addictive manner.
MPs on the committee said that while the Online Safety Act will play a role in keeping children safe from online harms, full protection will not come until the Act is fully implemented in 2026.
They suggest the next government should ban all under-16s from having phones.
The 14-year-old took his own life in 2022. Pic: Ellen Roome
Pic: Ellen Roome
Ms Roome said: “I think there’s a bigger issue than banning outright under-16s.
“Because they still have access to other devices. That is a bigger problem. We need to control what’s on those devices. It’s shocking about what a child can see these days.”
Online safety campaigner Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful material, said such a ban would “cause more harm than good” and would “punish children for the failures of tech companies to protect them”.
“The quickest and most effective route to protect children’s online safety and wellbeing is to strengthen the Online Safety Act in the next parliament and we call on all parties to commit to this in their manifestos,” he said.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Ms Roome adds: “Companies need to step up and stop waiting for the bill to make some changes.”
She describes her son as “entirely beautiful” and a “really polite young man”.
“I’m appealing to anybody out there to kindly share my petition. I want this debated in parliament. Parents need the right to be able to protect their children.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
An aircraft has crashed in a field in Lincolnshire, police say.
Emergency crews are at the scene in Coningsby following reports the aircraft went down shortly before 1.20pm.
A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson said a “single occupant aircraft” is believed to have crashed and nobody else is thought to have been involved.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was aware of the incident but it was not involved as it was a military investigation.
It has been reported the crash involved a Spitfire taking part in a Battle of Britain memorial event.
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Road closures are in place in the areas of Dogdyke Road and Sandy Bank.
Motorists have been asked to avoid the area and seek alternative routes.
Broadcasters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford have announced they are going to divorce after 14 years of marriage.
The pair, who presented ITV daytime chat show This Morning together for 15 years before quitting the show in 2021, tied the knot in 2010.
They confirmed their split through a representative, who said: “Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.”
After leaving This Morning, Holmes, 64, joined GB News where he presents the channel’s breakfast show and Langsford, also 64, is a regular on ITV’s Loose Women.
The pair in 2007. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Together they also presented Channel 5 programmes including How The Other Half Lives and Do The Right Thing With Eamonn And Ruth, and made numerous appearances on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox.
Holmes and Langsford started dating in 1997.
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Their wedding was attended by TV presenters Gloria Hunniford and Jeremy Kyle, EastEnders actress Zoe Lucker and former champion boxer Barry McGuigan.
Eamonn and Ruth quit This Morning in 2021. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
They have one son, Jack, who was born in 2002. Holmes also has three children, Declan, Rebecca and Niall, from his first marriage.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
In the 2018 New Year Honours, Holmes became an OBE for services to broadcasting and was congratulated by Langsford, who called him her “darling”.
Langsford has also been a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Anton Du Beke before he became a judge on the BBC show.
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