London police end protest which saw them return firearms amidst shooting incident

Britain had to take the unusual step of placing its army on standby on September 24 after a group of London police officers surrendered their weapons in solidarity with a fellow officer who faces murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a young Black man.

As reported by the BBC, the UK's Ministry of Defence had confirmed its readiness to assist the police with specific tasks, particularly referring to support for counter-terrorism duties, for which London's Metropolitan Police relies on specialist firearms officers.

This development came in response to a recent court appearance by a London firearms officer, identified only as NX121, who has been charged in connection with the death of 24-year-old Chris Kaba in September 2022. Kaba lost his life shortly after being struck by a single gunshot fired into the vehicle he was driving in the Streatham area of south London. Importantly, he was unarmed at the time of the incident.

It's worth noting that in the UK, police officers are not routinely armed, and only a small proportion (about 1 in 10 in London) are authorized to carry firearms after undergoing rigorous training.

According to reports, approximately 100 Metropolitan police officers had opted out of firearms duties in this unusual protest, with many of them having returned to duty by the afternoon of September 25 

Home Secretary Suella Braverman emphasized that firearms officers are often required to make split-second decisions and assured that they should not be afraid of facing legal consequences for carrying out their duties.