Scotland Yard was last night looking to scrap disciplinary charges against Martyn Blake following his acquittal.
The police watchdog, who carried out a seven-month investigation into the shooting of Chris Kaba, decided last year that the sergeant should face a separate gross misconduct hearing relating to his ‘use of force’ after the conclusion of the criminal case.
The Met backed the assessment with its Directorate of Professional Standards agreeing there was a disciplinary ‘case to answer’ on the ‘available evidence’.
But now the force has abandoned its support of the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) decision and will be calling for the disciplinary process to be halted after the Met officer was acquitted of Kaba’s murder.
The revelation Met bosses initially backed the disciplinary will anger firearms officers who say they are not properly supported and face years of investigation if they pull the trigger to protect a life.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley reads out a statement after British police officer Martin Blake was acquitted of the 2022 murder of Chris Kaba
The police watchdog carried out a seven-month investigation into the shooting of Chris Kaba, pictured
Policing leaders and MPs have called for a change in the way that firearms officers are held to account.
The IOPC is still likely to direct a gross misconduct hearing later this year, although it will review the evidence at Sergeant Blake’s trial first in case anything has emerged that could change its decision.
A Met spokeswoman said: ‘Our ‘appropriate authority’, who is the senior decision-maker from the Directorate of Professional Standards for the Met, agreed with the initial assessment of the IOPC, on the available evidence, at the end of the IOPC investigation in March 2023.
‘This was before the criminal proceedings where the evidence against Sergeant Blake was tested significantly in court.
‘An acquittal in criminal proceedings is a relevant consideration for the IOPC in determining whether to pursue disciplinary proceedings.
Footage of the moment armed officers ran towards Mr Kaba’s car which was hemmed in. He tried to drive away
Protesters gather after the trial verdict where Blake was cleared of Mr Kaba’s murder
A banner was held that said ‘We Keep Each Other Safe’, as well as placards saying ‘Justice for Chris Kaba’, and chants of ‘Say his name – Chris Kaba’ and ‘No justice – no peace’ were heard outside the court
‘The MPS will be making fresh representations to the IOPC on this point, reflecting the evidence that has arisen during criminal proceedings, which the IOPC has agreed to consider very carefully.
‘We welcome the IOPC reviewing their determination given the very real complexities of a fast-moving and pressured incident.’
Yesterday a former firearms officer who was at the scene when Kaba was fatally shot told Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘There’s a problem when police officers are scrutinised by people who don’t necessarily understand the pressures and the issues involved.
‘I’m no legal expert but I do wonder whether there’s something maybe akin to the court-martial system that we see in the military which would be a better fit for incidents like this, where we have a panel of legal experts, a panel of subject-matter experts who can call on witnesses from the incident itself, can call on further witnesses in a particular area to bring their expertise to bear and that we can seek a judicial outcome from that.’
