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The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, has accused “those in positions of authority” of creating a “dangerous narrative” about the 2022 shooting of black Londoner Chris Kaba. Sir Mark said that by focusing on Kaba’s ethnicity, they had generated “rumour and innuendo” which could “embolden those who work against the public”. Among those to publicise concerns about potential police racism or call for “justice for Chris Kaba” were Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Kim Johnson, and former Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Sir Mark made these comments at an event hosted by the charity Crimestoppers, which provides confidential ways of giving the police information. He said “Those in positions of authority need to pull in the same direction on trust. I think unfortunately too often this is just not the case. I think some people need to be more aware of the weight of their words. Their attitudes and actions can embolden those who work against the public.”
Martyn Blake, a police firearms officer, was recently cleared of murdering Kaba. Blake shot Kaba when he was being followed by police in south London. Kaba’s car was caught driving backwards and forwards in the hope of escaping when Blake fired a single shot. Protests and widespread comments online ensued.
The jury heard that while Kaba was unarmed, and Blake viewed the driver as a “comparatively young and athletic” black man, the police did not know who was driving the car, which had been linked to a previous incident. Video evidence was later disclosed to show that Kaba had shot a rival in an incident days before he was stopped and killed by police. The Met said that Kaba was a leading member of the 67 gang, active in south London.
In his speech, Sir Mark outlined that Kaba was part of a south London gang which “coerces and exploits black boys and draws them into gangs and crime” and had been involved in several shootings recently. Sir Mark said the majority of online conversation had not focused on the legalities of whether a police officer was justified in firing the fatal shot, given the situation. Instead, most of the conversations had been about whether the police were racist. Sir Mark acknowledged that there was a national discussion to be had about disproportionality in the justice system
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