Police officers who deploy lethal force understand that their actions will be subject to the highest level of scrutiny. In my experience, decisions of this nature are never taken lightly.
Where permissible, such actions are typically preceded by the articulation of options aimed at eliminating the need for force. Operational decisions of this kind inevitably involve both objective and subjective judgment, fused together within incredibly short timeframes.
Metropolitan Police officer Martyn Blake was cleared of murdering Chris Kaba last October. However, he now faces a fresh gross misconduct hearing, which could result in the loss of his job and pension.
Although I was never a firearms officer, I did deploy armed officers to some of the most high-risk events of my career, while I remained in relative safety.
If I were a firearms officer today, I would seek redeployment.
© Ian Kirke 2025
@ iankirke.bsky.social
Title image by Dom.