Met firearms officers speak out on Chris Kaba case impact

Sky News has been given unprecedented access to the Metropolitan Police's firearms unit, MO19, for a documentary that reveals how the Chris Kaba case has affected the officers who carry guns on London's streets. The case, in which an officer shot and killed Chris Kaba in September 2022, led to a murder charge, an acquittal, and a change in the law governing police misconduct. Now, for the first time, officers from the unit have spoken about the personal toll.

The officer who fired the fatal shot, Martin Blake, was charged with murder but acquitted by a jury at the Old Bailey. The case sent shockwaves through MO19. One officer told Sky News: "I don't come to work to be charged with murder and sent to prison." Another said: "Why risk getting charged for murder when you can just sit in an office somewhere and get paid the same?" The trial also prompted at least one officer to leave the unit. "You've got to have a serious conversation with yourself and your family," he said. "Could you go through a potential criminal trial for some of the highest offences? The answer for me is no."

The documentary, called Firing Point, follows officers on live operations and at their training ground, where they practise split-second decisions on a judgement range. In one exercise, officers are told to drop a gun. The film shows how officers are trained to neutralise threats, with one saying: "When we shoot, we shoot to neutralise the threat. Yes, there is a likelihood that they may prove fatal." But campaigners remain critical. One supporter of Chris Kaba's family said: "In our society we already have very little accountability and they are going to make it so we have close to no chance of ever holding any officer accountable for any action ever again."

The controversy deepened when Martin Blake's misconduct hearing was dropped after the government changed the law lowering the burden of proof for police officers who use force. The Met Commissioner defended the change in the documentary. When asked whether an officer who made a mistake should be allowed to carry a gun again, he said: "What we're saying is, if an officer is making a decision based on as they believe it at that moment, if the facts turn out to be different, that's not the officer's fault is it?" He argued that officers must act on reasonable belief, even if that belief later proves wrong.

The documentary also highlights the wider pressures on the unit. Officers are called to the most dangerous incidents in London, often arriving to provide first aid rather than fire their weapons. In multiple operations last year, no shots were fired. But the fear of being charged with murder has become a central concern. One officer said: "We don't get paid any extra to do what we do. There's no bonus payment." The Met Commissioner's comments and the officers' testimony come as the force tries to balance accountability with the need to keep armed officers confident in their decisions.