FIREARMS
• Raising the threshold for the Independent Office for Police
shootings, up until the point of a conviction.
• A rapid independent review to consider the legal test for use of force
• An examination by the Director of Public Prosecutions of CPS guidance
Conduct (IOPC) to refer police officers to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), so only cases that have a reasonable prospect of conviction are referred – as is already the test for members of the public suspected of committing a crime.
in misconduct proceedings and the threshold for unlawful killing in inquests.
and processes in relation to charging police officers for offences committed in the course of their duties.
Police Federation of England and Wales Firearms Lead Phil Jones said: “Any drop in numbers is deeply concerning and we need to ensure this is not a continuing trend. We have lost almost 1000 highly skilled and experienced officers and it’s worrying because we need to understand why this is happening. “The decrease could be
they have when doing such a dangerous, complex and demanding job. “The Government must now urgently implement the Accountability Review recommendations so legal safeguards can be established to allow police officers to have the confidence to do their job, serving and protecting the public.” Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Armed Policing, said: “It goes without saying it has been a difficult period for the police service, especially so for colleagues involved in the vitally important world of armed policing. The court case involving NX121 reflects the complex and difficult situations armed officers face and the decisions they must make in a split second, under immense pressure. “We know in the UK police shootings are a rare occurrence. When armed officers discharge their weapons operationally, there must be a proportionate investigation and
protect the public, their colleagues and themselves, has become broken. “We are supportive of the comments made by the Home Secretary last year following the trial and welcome her commitment to getting it right for officers and the public they serve. The ongoing work on the Accountability Review now has momentum and is a real opportunity to get the balance right in the interests of the public we are here to protect and the officers that come to work to protect them. “We are proud have the best trained, most restrained, and professional armed officers in the world, but increasingly they are more concerned about going to prison for doing their jobs, than facing the violent and dangerous individuals we rely on them to protect us from. This isn’t right and we will continue to work with the Government to create the necessary balance and recognition of the reality of the situations police officers face. “Good police officers
“The Government must now urgently implement the Accountability Review recommendations so legal safeguards can be established to allow police officers to have the confidence to do their job.”
for a variety of reasons. Some individuals’ authorisation may also have lapsed because through illness as they were unable to attend the annual compulsory development training required for the role. Other factors like maternity, retirement and promotion may also have played a part, but we clearly need to understand more about the reasons for this drop in numbers. “Overall, it’s a worrying picture, and that’s why it’s crucial we closely examine this issue now and don’t store up problems for the future that could put the public at risk. “What is clear, though, from looking
at the survey findings and listening to the membership is greater protections are needed for AFOs who have to make split-second decisions in the face of life or death, as this is one of the large barriers preventing officers from taking up the specialist role. “The ramifications of the NX121 case going to court has gone far wider than the boundary of the Metropolitan Police Service, with police officers across the other 42 Home Office forces in England Wales rightly asking what protection
25 | POLICE | FEBRUARY | 2025
accountability. Police officers are not above the law, and nobody expects them to be, but as I said after the acquittal of NX121, the system that holds officers to account when they use force to
need to know if they do what they are trained to do, they will be supported by the leaders of the police service, government and most importantly the public. “We remain
determined to get police
accountability right and we will support government to address concerns about the current accountability system to restore the confidence of police officers and the public.”
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