Firearms officers facing trial over police shootings to remain anonymous in wake of Chris Kaba case, home secretary says

Firearms officers on trial over police shootings will not be named during criminal proceedings, the home secretary has announced.

Yvette Cooper announced a review into the accountability of firearms officers and confidence in policing after police marksman Martyn Blake was cleared by a jury on Monday of the murder of Chris Kaba in Streatham, south London, in September 2022.

Mr Blake, 40, fired a single bullet through the windscreen of the Audi Q8 that 24-year-old Kaba was driving as armed officers surrounded the car while he tried to escape.

The Metropolitan Police firearms officer was named for the first time in March this year as a judge lifted an anonymity order after media organisations challenged the legal application to protect his identity.

Before that, he had been known by the codename NX121 after threats were made against him.

Ms Cooper said officers will now remain anonymous until they are convicted.

She said the ruling will be part of an upcoming crime and policing bill.

She told the House of Commons: “When officers act in the most dangerous situations on behalf of the state it is vital that those officers and their families are not put in further danger during any subsequent legal proceedings, so we will therefore introduce a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trial following a police shooting in the course of their professional duties, up to the point of conviction.”

Ms Cooper said Mr Kaba’s death and the trial of Mr Blake were held against “a backdrop of fallen community confidence in policing and the criminal justice system across the country”.

There is “lower confidence among black communities”, she said.

The home secretary acknowledged Mr Kaba’s parents and family “continue to experience deep grief and distress” and said it is “imperative that the jury’s verdict is respected” as she called for Mr Blake and his family to be “given the time and space…to recover from what must have been an immensely difficult experience”.

She also announced:

• Statutory footing for the Independent Office of Police Conduct’s (IOPC) victims’ right to review scheme

• The threshold for referral of police officers to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to be same as when police refer cases involving members of the public – currently it is lower for police

• The IOPC will be allowed to send cases to the CPs where there is sufficient evidence to do so, instead of having to wait for a final investigation report

• The director of public prosecutions will review CPS guidance on charging police officers for offences committed while on duty

• The College of Policing will be asked to establish a database of “lessons learned” where deaths or serious injury has happened after police contact or pursuits

• Police officers found guilty of “certain criminal offences” will be automatically found to have committed gross misconduct and will be “promptly” dismissed if they fail vetting

• Officers will be suspended if they are under investigation for domestic abuse or sexual offences.

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