Armed police officers threaten to QUIT if law isn’t changed
The review follows the death of a 24 year old in London
PA
A significant number of armed police officers could step down if a Government review of legal protections does not take the action they want, a national police leader has warned.
Simon Chesterman, who is the armed policing lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said armed policing is in “a precarious and difficult position”, and officers want to feel they will be treated fairly.
Dozens of firearms officers in the Metropolitan Police stepped back from firearms duties after a marksman was charged with the murder of a man.
Chris Kaba, 24, died after he was shot in south London last year.
Chris Kaba was shot last year
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Chesterman told journalists at a conference in Westminster that if large numbers of officers were to choose to step down from armed duties
Police chiefs could be forced to make officers carry firearms in the future.
He said: “My greatest concern is that, unless we can redress the balance slightly, we will struggle to retain the armed officers we’ve got, and we will certainly struggle to attract people to the role – as I say, it is voluntary.
“The only way that we can mandate officers carrying firearms is by recruiting officers to be firearms officers, and my worry is that, after hundreds of years of tradition in this country of having an unarmed police service, we could be sleepwalking into having to mandate officers to carry firearms."
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Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a review of armed policing
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Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced a review of armed policing in September, which will look at whether “the existing legislation underpinning use of force, including defences, provides sufficient protections for police officers in the line of duty, particularly in respect of firearms officers”.
The review will also look at whether legal tests on the use of force in self-defence should be “clarified or changed” in misconduct proceedings and inquest.
It will also review if the “criminal standard of proof for a finding of unlawful killing should be used for inquests and relevant inquiries”.
Chesterman said if the review does not achieve what armed officers are hoping for, substantial numbers could step back from their duties, creating a risk to the public.
He said: “I know that the concerns are widespread.
“Now, if the review doesn’t go in the direction we want it to go in, are we going to see everybody stepping back?
“Of course we won’t – there will be people who are still prepared to go out there and put themselves in jeopardy to protect the public, I absolutely get that.
"But my concern is that it could affect significant numbers and that will create risk.”