<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">A number of London police have stepped back from firearms duties after a fellow officer was charged with murder over the fatal shooting of a young black man, a force spokesman said Sunday.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The highly unusual protest by officers prompted interior minister Suella Braverman to stress that firearms officers have to make "split-second decisions" and "mustn't fear ending up in the dock for carrying out their duties".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Police in Britain are not routinely armed and the small proportion who are authorised to carry guns are highly trained.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The specialist firearms officers who have stepped back, around 100 according to one report, handed in their tickets, accreditation that allows them to carry guns while on duty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In London, in addition to incidents involving the public, they are deployed to protect sites such as parliament, diplomatic missions and airports.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The officers' stoppage follows the appearance in court last week of a London firearms officer, named only as NX121, who has been charged over the death of 24-year-old Chris Kaba in September 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kaba died hours after he was struck by a single gunshot fired into the vehicle he was driving in the Streatham area of south London.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Met Police spokesman said "a number of officers have taken the decision to step back from armed duties while they consider their position", with the number rising in the past 48 hours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Many are worried about how the decision impacts on them, on their colleagues and on their families," the spokesman said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"They are concerned that it signals a shift in the way the decisions they make in the most challenging circumstances will be judged," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Family seeks justice -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To help deal with the walkout, firearms officers from neighbouring forces stepped in to help patrol the capital on Saturday night, the PA news agency reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Met was supporting the officers and "fully understand the genuinely held concerns that they have", the Met spokesperson added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also said the defence ministry had agreed to provide counter-terrorism support.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Armed forces personnel will not be used in a routine policing capacity," he added. "We will keep the need for the support under constant review."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After Kaba's death, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Police's headquarters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The man's family welcomed the decision to charge the unnamed officer, saying they and the wider community needed to "see justice for Chris".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">INQUEST, a charity that works on state-related deaths, said that since 1990 in the UK there had been 1,870 deaths in or following police custody or contact.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In that time there had been only one successful prosecution of a police officer -- for manslaughter in 2021 -- and none for murder.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Met, the UK's largest police force, has faced pressure in recent years over a string of scandals including the kidnap, rape and murder of a young woman by a serving officer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The force currently has around 1,000 officers suspended or on restricted duties while they are investigated for alleged wrongdoing and incompetence. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>