Chris Kaba was unarmed when he was shot and killed in south London, September 5, 2022. (Photo by AP)
London, February 11 (RHC)-- UK rights groups warn that the political pressure from the police to change the law over a murder case can give the "law enforcement" license to kill and protection from accountability.
The political pressure from the police comes in the aftermath of the Chris Kaba murder case, in which a police officer, Sergeant Martyn Blake, was tried for the murder. This week, Sergeant Blake was swiftly acquitted with a jury reaching a verdict within hours of the case being completed.
Despite the quick acquittal, the police say “Firearms officers are in an impossible position, and … they should be treated as heroes protecting the public.” But instead “they are being treated as common criminals.”
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Human rights groups argue that in the UK, the number of cases in which police officers are prosecuted for the excessive use of force is extremely low, with a single police officer being successfully persecuted since 1990.
According to human rights groups, “2023-2024 saw a 10% increase in police use of force and the highest figure of police-related deaths for nearly a decade.” “Our work has exposed disturbing levels of neglect, violence and excessive use of force by police officers, particularly in cases involving black and radicalized people.”
“The institutional impunity afforded the police at an individual and corporate level indicates in most cases that police officers remain above the law,” they added.
Human rights groups warn that the police want to use this high-profile case to put pressure on the UK’s political system “to push for less scrutiny and accountability of police actions.”
Chris Kaba was shot on September 5, 2022, after the car he was driving was stopped and surrounded by officers. His death sparked protests and anger across the UK.
The UK law enforcement also became agitated when Sergeant Blake was arrested for the murder. Police officers threatened to stop using firearms, while others threatened to protest in the major cities of the UK while fully armed and armored.
Despite the warnings from the human rights groups, experts believe that the UK government will change the law in favor of the country’s law enforcement.
[ SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS ]
