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At least two British police forces have rejected requests to provide cover for London’s Metropolitan Police armed forces in the past week, underscoring the serious crisis facing the force after hundreds of officers handed over their firearms.
Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police chief, confirmed on Tuesday that the number of armed police officers on duty in London remains “significantly lower than normal” and this will cause “significant problems”.
Hundreds of the Met’s 2,500 armed police officers handed in their weapons licenses in protest after the Crown Prosecution Service last week charged an officer with murder over the shooting death of Chris Kaba in Streatham last September. . The accused officer was identified only as NX121.
The Metropolitan Police Federation, which speaks on behalf of police, expressed concerns about the fairness of such prosecutions and said “colleagues should not fear for their freedoms and livelihoods simply by doing the job that the public expects of us”.
Darbab, a former senior official with the Metropolitan Police, said he could not recall a time when the force turned down a request for “mutual assistance.” “Mutual aid” is police jargon for a request to send officers across force boundaries to meet an urgent need.
The Met said on Monday it would lift its back-up arrangements with the army to provide support in the capital in the event of a terror incident.
However, Rowley’s comments at a meeting of London’s newly formed Police Commission on Tuesday made clear that the force remains reliant on support from other forces.
Thames Valley Police and Leicestershire Police both confirmed they had turned down requests for mutual aid from London’s armed police in recent days, but declined to say why.
Thames Valley Police said: “We have been asked but we have not provided mutual assistance.”
Leicestershire Police said: “We did receive a request to deploy officers for mutual aid but this was declined.”
A person familiar with Kent Police operations said its officers had not yet been deployed to London, but declined to give details. Essex Police declined to comment.
The Met said it had “nothing more to add” on the issue.
Hertfordshire Police confirmed officers from its firearms unit operating in conjunction with Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire forces have been deployed.
Babu said senior officials feared the protests could spread across the country.
“Some firearms officers from home counties refuse to provide cover, so unless this is handled sensitively, you can understand the concern,” he said.
Home Secretary Zuela Braverman on Sunday announced an inquiry into police accountability in response to protests involving armed police. Rowley welcomed her announcement.
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