The London Police Department has had to call in officers from neighboring departments after hundreds laid down their weapons in protest of a colleague being charged with murder.
On Sunday, a London Police Officer identified only as “NX121” was arrested for the death of 24-year-old Chris Kaba, who was black, in September 2022.
Kaba was fatally shot in the head while driving a vehicle “believed to be linked to a firearms incident which took place the previous day.”
According to a report from the BBC, as many as 300 armed officers turned in their permits that allow them to carry weapons on the job.
“Many are worried about how the decision impacts on them, on their colleagues and on their families,” said a spokesman for the London Metropolitan Police (the Met), according to a report from France 24. “They are concerned that it signals a shift in the way the decisions they make in the most challenging circumstances will be judged.”
The report noted, “Police in Britain do not routinely carry firearms. The 2,500 Met officers who are authorised to carry guns are normally deployed for specialist missions such as counter-terrorism operations and to protect sites such as parliament, diplomatic missions and airports.”
So many officers had stood down that the government considered bringing in the Army to fill the gaps.
However, by Monday enough officers had returned to duty that they were able to tell them to stand down.
“As of lunchtime on Monday, the number of officers who had returned to armed duties was sufficient for us to no longer require external assistance to meet our counterterrorism responsibilities.”
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) September 25, 2023
“As of lunchtime on Monday, the number of officers who had returned to armed duties was sufficient for us to no longer require external assistance to meet our counterterrorism responsibilities,” the department said, according to a reporter from the BBC.
While the army was no longer necessary, the department was still using officers from neighboring departments.