Army offers help as ‘over 100 officers’ drop weapons in protest of murder charge

Chris Kaba was due to become a father when he was shot in the vehicle he was driving (Image: Family Handout) The Ministry of Defence has reportedly offered to provide armed soldiers to the Met Police after firearms officers “handed their weapons back”. The move has been in response to a marksman charged with the murder of Chris Kaba, 24, who died in south London last year. An accused officer turned up in court on Thursday, and now it has been claimed more than 100 officers have handed back a ticket which is understood to give them permission to carry firearms. Sky News has reported the claimed involvement of the MoD to fill in the gaps of officers who cannot conduct their duties. Chris Kaba was killed by a gunshot fired into the vehicle he was driving on September 5, 2022 in Streatham. He died in hospital the next day. The construction worker was due to become a dad. His death sparked widespread protests and allegations of institutional racism in the police force. The MoD said it received a request – known as Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) – from the Home Office to “provide routine counter-terrorism contingency support to the Metropolitan Police, should it be needed”. MACA is offered to public bodies like the police or NHS in emergency situations. For instance, when the military helped medical staff during the Covid pandemic. The Met said it was a “contingency option”, and would only be used “in specific circumstances and where an appropriate policing response was not available”. Soldiers would not be used for routine policing, it added.