"New rules in England and Wales will make it harder to punish police officers accused of wrongly using force, with critics saying it will lead to greater impunity and injustice. Ministers hope to quell fears among firearms officers that they will be hounded for doing their job. The cause of the changes was the shooting dead of Chris Kaba, which resulted in a Metropolitan police firearms officer being tried for murder and acquitted by a jury after three hours of deliberations last October."
"On Thursday, the government said it would boost protections for officers after a review by a former police chief and former judge. The legal test for use of force at misconduct hearings will increase, moving from a balance of probabilities to the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. Officers almost always justify use of force by saying they acted in self-defence. Disproving this will thus get harder."
New rules in England and Wales raise the legal test at police misconduct hearings from the civil balance of probabilities to the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt. The change follows the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba and an acquittal of a Metropolitan firearms officer, and aims to reassure firearms officers and prevent resignations that could reduce armed cover. The government will also review whether inquests should find unlawful killing less easily and will look to speed up processes. Police chiefs welcome the protections. Campaigners and bereaved families warn the measures will increase impunity and undermine accountability.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]