Ex-police commissioner defends Martyn Blake over ‘wrong’ decision to name officer in Chris Kaba shooting: ‘There’s a bounty on his head!’
A former police commissioner has labelled the decision to name police marksman Martyn Blake in the trial of Chris Kaba’s shooting as “wrong”, adding that it should “absolutely should not have happened”.
Following Blake’s acquittal for murder at the Old Bailey on Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has launched a fresh probe into the accountability and protections of firearms officers within the force.
Addressing the House of Commons today, Cooper said: “When officers act in the most dangerous situations on behalf of the state, it is vital that those officers and their families are not put in further danger during any subsequent legal proceedings.
“So we will therefore introduce a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trial following a police shooting in the course of their professional duties, up to the point of conviction.”
Speaking to GB News, ex-Police & Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye stressed that firearms officers do an “extremely difficult job” and the process of naming Blake was “wrong”.
Akinbusoye explained: “British policing is probably one of the most accountable in the world. You have the level of internal scrutiny, you’ve got the police and crime commissioner level as well their chiefs.
“Firearms officers do an extremely difficult job, and it’s no surprise that not many police officers are able to bear firearms. We do not have armed policing in Britain, and long may that continue. However, we should treat firearms officers the same way as you would treat a civilian.”
Backing the Home Secretary’s fresh review into the protections for officers, Akinbusoye argued that because Blake was named publicly, there has now been a “bounty placed on his head”, and he will forever be “looking over his shoulder” in fear of his life.
Akinbusoye told GB News: “I totally support the call by Sir Mark Rowley for the extra protections to be given to the firearms officers.
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“And the Mayor, who is the Police and Crime Commissioner in London, should absolutely be foursquare behind the Met Commissioner in calling on the Home Office to give this extra level of protection to firearms officers as well.”
When asked by host Tom Harwood for his verdict on the decision by the CPS and IOPC to name Blake, Akinbusoye claimed that it is “wrong” to “identify someone who was doing their job”.
Akinbusoye stressed: “In my opinion, naming him should not have happened. Accountability is one thing – identifying people who are doing that kind of a job was wrong, because now this man has got a £10,000 bounty on his head.
“So he forever now will be looking over his the shoulders. I don’t think that’s what we want police officers anywhere in this country to be doing.”
Addressing the impact of cases like Kaba’s, Akinbusoye claimed that it will officers “question if they should do their job the way they’ve been trained”.
He added: “At a time when policing is struggling to retain police officers, let alone recruit, accountability is not being given a special treatment.
“It’s about, yes, being challenged about decision making, but when they do make a decision in accordance with the law and the training and the approved practice from the College of Policing, they don’t get thrown under the bus.
“Because what you do get them is police officers thinking, should I do my job the way that I’ve been trained, or should I just not do it because I just can’t stand the hassle?”