The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) is preparing to deploy the army after hundreds of police officers handed in their guns in protest of a murder charge brought against an unidentified officer who shot and killed Chris Kaba, a young black man who tried to evade a police roadblock by ramming his vehicle into theirs.
The MoD announced it has “accepted a military aid to the civil authorities request from the Home Office to provide routine counterterrorism contingency support to the Metropolitan Police” and to “keep the public safe and respond to any eventualities.”
The ministry further stated the soldiers deployed shall have no powers of arrest, nor will they be asked to undertake policing tasks.
More than 100 police officers turned in their firearms permits, arguing that they were worried about how it impacts them. One former officer told a radio station, “What is obvious to me, they are not acting out of anger or petulance… They’re incredibly concerned it’s not worth it anymore.”
UPDATE: “As of lunchtime on Monday, the number of officers who had returned to armed duties was sufficient for us to no longer require external assistance to meet our counterterrorism responsibilities,” said the Metropolitan Police.
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