UPDATES WITH STATEMENT BY METROPOLITAN POLICE
By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - The UK's Defense Ministry offered military support to the Metropolitan Police in London after dozens of officers returned permits allowing them to bear firearms, according to media reports on Monday.
More than 100 officers stood down from their firearms duties after a London police officer was charged with the murder of unarmed 24-year-old Black man Chris Kaba last week, BBC said, citing an unnamed source.
Kaba was shot by a police officer while unarmed on Sept. 5 in Streatham, south London, following a "vehicle pursuit."
The officer whose identity is protected by legal restrictions will appear a court on Thursday.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley welcomed a Home Office review into armed policing, calling for reform of the way police officers are held to account.
"There is a concern on the part of firearms officers that even if they stick to the tactics and training they have been given, they will face years of protracted legal proceedings which impact on their personal wellbeing and that of their family," he said in an open letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Sunday.
Following the developments, the Ministry of Defense said it received a request for "Military Aid to the Civil Authorities" (MACA) from the Home Office to "provide routine counter-terrorism contingency support to the Metropolitan Police, should it be needed."
According to the BBC report, a MACA is offered to police or the National Health Service (NHS) in emergency situations, with the military previously helping medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and covering for striking border staff and paramedics in 2022.
The Metropolitan Police later released a statement that not all firearm-wielding officers had turned in their weapons, with some, including counter-terrorism forces, on duty across London.
"A number of officers have taken the decision to step back from armed duties while they consider their position but in the past 24 hours some have returned," it noted.
It also confirmed that the Defense Ministry had agreed to a request to provide the Metropolitan Police with counterterrorism support should it be needed.
"This is a contingency option that would only be used in specific circumstances and where an appropriate policing response was not available," the statement added.