Will armed officer’s murder charge force change in how police shootings are reported?
Britain’s streets without the specialist firearms officers and armed response vehicles that are dotted around major cities will be more dangerous places.
The army is being called in as back-up to the officers withdrawing their service but they do not have the experience to deal with the split-second decisions that are made every day by the police.
As then head of specialist operations, Sir Mark Rowley was the man responsible for the expansion in the number of firearms officers in London.
It was designed to deal with the threat that emerged from the marauding firearms attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and Paris in 2015.
Thankfully, that threat has never materialised, although the officers were called in to deal with the terrorist knife attacks in Woolwich in 2013, London Bridge in 2017 and Fishmongers’ Hall in 2019.
However, the same officers deal with 4,000 incidents involving firearms or suspected firearms every year.
They discharge their weapons on fewer than two of those but when they do the results can have a devastating effect on the officers themselves and on community relations.
Azelle Rodney
There have been a small number of controversial shootings, most notably that of Azelle Rodney in 2005 and Mark Duggan in 2011, that led to the London riots that summer.
In the case of Azelle Rodney, following an inquiry finding that his killing was “not justified”, PC Anthony Long was eventually charged with murder, nine years after the shooting, and acquitted at trial.
In Mark Duggan’s case, an inquest jury found that he was lawfully killed, three years after the shooting, and no officer faced charges.
Mark Duggan
The process of charging officers with murder or manslaughter is a fraught one, but in the case of Chris Kaba, it has proceeded more quickly than usual, as the Independent Office for Police Conduct collected body-worn footage, CCTV, witness statements and forensics before passing their file to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The CPS decided to charge the officer NX121, with murder, for shooting Mr Kaba through the windscreen of the Audi he was driving in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham.
The vehicle was being followed, having been identified as used in a firearms incident the previous day, but Mr Kaba was unarmed.
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Kaba: Officer charged with murder
The investigation and charge process took a little over a year but it has given rise to fears among firearms officers across the country that they are being judged for doing their jobs.
The details of the case cannot be discussed because of laws in Britain that mean the case against the officer could be prejudiced by reporting.
That is one of the things Sir Mark, now the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, would like to change but he would also like the CPS to strengthen the legal protection for officers who use force.
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Offering his support to his officers, Sir Mark wrote to the Home Secretary on Sunday, voicing their concern “that even if they stick to the tactics and training they have been given, they will face years of protracted legal proceedings”.
However, there is another dimension to the debate.
Riot police look on as smoke rises from burning buildings in Tottenham, north London, in 2011
In the case of Mark Duggan, the issue that provoked the London riots, was the belief in Tottenham that a criminal of Duggan’s experience would not have pointed a firearm at an armed police officer – and that he had, in effect, been executed.
Policing in Britain is performed by consent, and the police in London, and elsewhere, continue to face a challenge in the narrative that arose in Tottenham.
They are trained to believe that criminals will attempt to shoot them, but the reality, some believe, is very different.
Tottenham let slip a two-goal lead before losing a penalty shootout to Paris St Germain (PSG) in the final of the UEFA Super Cup.
Spurs defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero scored from set pieces to put the north London side on their way to winning the trophy, in what was manager Thomas Frank’s first game in charge.
However, Champions League winners PSG, who were thrashed in the Club World Cup final by Chelsea last month, produced a stunning response after Kang-in Lee pulled one back with five minutes left.
Tottenham’s Cristian Romero scores his side’s second goal. Pic: AP
PSG striker Goncalo Ramos, who was brought on in the 77th minute, forced the game to penalties after scoring a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
The Super Cup final, played each year between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League, does not feature extra time – meaning the game went straight to spot kicks.
Tottenham players react during the penalty shootout. Pic: AP
Europa League winners Tottenham initially had the advantage when Vitinha missed PSG’s first kick – but it was followed by Van de Ven and Mathys Tel failing to score their penalties.
PSG, managed by Luis Enrqiue, went on to win 4-3.
PSG’s players celebrate after winning the final. Pic: AP
The PSG players poured on to the pitch in celebration, knowing they had etched their names into history as the first French side to lift the trophy.
“It’s incredible to win like this. This team once again showed character, even if we’re not at our physical best,” PSG defender Marquinhos said.
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PSG’s Marquinhos lifts the trophy. Pic: AP
“We managed to get the goals we needed through the substitutions, and in the shootout we have players who take their penalties well and a goalkeeper who helped us.”
Tottenham, who finished 17th in the Premier League last season, were unable to win what would have been their second trophy in 17 years – with the first one coming when they beat Manchester United in Europe’s second-tier competition in May.
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