Page 3 | Police officer cleared

Toomanywars · 2024-10-21T17:39:27+00:00

Martin Blake police officer today cleared by a jury of unlawful killing of Chris Kaba Should police officers get more support. Perhaps not release name until after trial or inquiry.

Serencwtch · 21/10/2024 19:32

Definitely police officers need more support. Armed officers are now unfortunately vital & unavoidable. It is by far one of the hardest jobs around & the fact that one day you may be required to take the life of another human in order to protect the public sits heavily on their shoulders.
Police officers are not monsters at all. There are a few who behave appallingly (as in any job/sector) but the majority are hard working, honest with an ability to remain level headed in the most harrowing of circumstances.

It is right that all deaths are scrutinized and the scrutiny is far higher for police than for anywhere else. In the NHS for example there are scandals after scandals where they seem to just brush of deaths & failings. Every move & decision by the police is rightly scrutinized.

I think the identity of these armed officers need to be protected. They need the support and funding from the government to do the job properly and they need the support of the public

RIP Chris Kaba & his death is absolutely a tragedy but he chose the consequences which ended his life.

The officer involved PC Blake is brave & a hero and we should be grateful and show support to officers like him who take on the ultimate challenges that the rest of us would run scared from.

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:34

LondonJax · 21/10/2024 19:24

He was stationary because his car got stuck! He didn't 'stop' - he was stopped by getting caught between two cars and was revving, trying to reverse. It's not the same thing and he had a chance to stop properly. Why did he drive away?

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He was stationary and was blocked from behind. He couldn't move back and a police officer was standing in front of him. He wasn't driving at the police. He hit the car behind him and one car to the side.

The police said he was coming at speed but you can see from the footage that he bumped a car behind him and one to the side then came to a stop.

Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 19:37

The police aren't trained to shoot unarmed civilians in the head.

I didn’t say they were…

Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 19:40

He was stationary and was blocked from behind. He couldn't move back and a police officer was standing in front of him. He wasn't driving at the police. He hit the car behind him and one car to the side.

The police said he was coming at speed but you can see from the footage that he bumped a car behind him and one to the side then came to a stop.

This all might be true but again it’s from the perspective of CCTV & with hindsight. The officer doesn’t know the motives of the driver & that the reverse bump was accidental as opposed to a sign the driver planned to drive off into him. Again split second decisions in heightened situations.

NewGreenDuck · 21/10/2024 19:42

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:21

You're just parroting what the police said. He wasn't speeding at the time of the shooting, he was stationary.

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He was moving the car back and forth trying to get away. The police officer thought that another officer was going to be crushed. If Kaba had stopped the car, turned off the engine and got out, he would still be alive. Why didn't he do that?

Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 19:42

The officer involved PC Blake is brave & a hero and we should be grateful and show support to officers like him who take on the ultimate challenges that the rest of us would run scared from.

Im the first to criticise the failings of the police but we seem to be expecting humans to think & act unlike humans which is an impossible standard. It’s not a job I would ever want to do.

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:44

Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 19:40

He was stationary and was blocked from behind. He couldn't move back and a police officer was standing in front of him. He wasn't driving at the police. He hit the car behind him and one car to the side.

The police said he was coming at speed but you can see from the footage that he bumped a car behind him and one to the side then came to a stop.

This all might be true but again it’s from the perspective of CCTV & with hindsight. The officer doesn’t know the motives of the driver & that the reverse bump was accidental as opposed to a sign the driver planned to drive off into him. Again split second decisions in heightened situations.

It doesn't tally with the officer's claim that police lives were in imminent danger. They clearly weren't. He could see the car was stationary and that the driver had his hands on the steering wheel.

I would agree with you if he was holding a gun or was coming at speed. But he shot an unarmed man in the head in a stationary car.

Original poster

Toomanywars · 21/10/2024 19:44

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:34

He was stationary and was blocked from behind. He couldn't move back and a police officer was standing in front of him. He wasn't driving at the police. He hit the car behind him and one car to the side.

The police said he was coming at speed but you can see from the footage that he bumped a car behind him and one to the side then came to a stop.

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"Armed police who had been in a marked car approached on foot. Witnesses said that Kaba refused to leave the car and drove it into one of the police cars"

The thing is, it's easy on here to say what should be done. Wait for the guy to get out of car, wait for him to not ram the police car again, he was revving ready to do so, wait to see if a gun appears, the car was linked to a shooting the day before. Kaba himself had a criminal history with time for using a fake firearm to threaten violence. Wait to see if he rams and an officer is hurt.

OP posts:

Original poster

Toomanywars · 21/10/2024 19:45

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:44

It doesn't tally with the officer's claim that police lives were in imminent danger. They clearly weren't. He could see the car was stationary and that the driver had his hands on the steering wheel.

I would agree with you if he was holding a gun or was coming at speed. But he shot an unarmed man in the head in a stationary car.

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The jury who had access to all the evidence agreed with the police officer.

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Puzzledandpissedoff · 21/10/2024 19:47

TigerRag · 21/10/2024 18:47

No one should be named until after the trial and only if found guilty

I can see the merit of this providing it applied to everyone, but good luck with it in these days of social media, where names will be plastered all over the place almost instantly

Even if there was a threat of prosecution for divulging details I don't know where they could even start, given the amount of filth already spouted without consequences

The jury who had access to all the evidence agreed with the police officer

Edited to add it won't matter to those who think they know better, OP - even those who haven't followed the evidence and in any case weren't there

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:48

Toomanywars · 21/10/2024 19:44

"Armed police who had been in a marked car approached on foot. Witnesses said that Kaba refused to leave the car and drove it into one of the police cars"

The thing is, it's easy on here to say what should be done. Wait for the guy to get out of car, wait for him to not ram the police car again, he was revving ready to do so, wait to see if a gun appears, the car was linked to a shooting the day before. Kaba himself had a criminal history with time for using a fake firearm to threaten violence. Wait to see if he rams and an officer is hurt.

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He was stationary when he was shot. The police had no idea who he was when they stopped him and no idea of any record. They shot an unarmed man in the head. I couldn't hear the car revving in the video.

Original poster

Toomanywars · 21/10/2024 19:50

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:48

He was stationary when he was shot. The police had no idea who he was when they stopped him and no idea of any record. They shot an unarmed man in the head. I couldn't hear the car revving in the video.

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Ah so you know better than a jury of people hearing all the evidence first hand. Fortunately, it isn't up to you.

Well I think it's a difficult job and I'm glad the officer has been acquitted.

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username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:51

Toomanywars · 21/10/2024 19:45

The jury who had access to all the evidence agreed with the police officer.

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We've all seen the evidence. The CCTV evidence and the police evidence, it's been shown on the news and in the media. I don't have your faith in juries, there have been many miscarriages of justice and I've served on one; it was a joke.

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:52

Toomanywars · 21/10/2024 19:50

Ah so you know better than a jury of people hearing all the evidence first hand. Fortunately, it isn't up to you.

Well I think it's a difficult job and I'm glad the officer has been acquitted.

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That's obvious.

Serencwtch · 21/10/2024 19:55

username35890 · 21/10/2024 19:51

We've all seen the evidence. The CCTV evidence and the police evidence, it's been shown on the news and in the media. I don't have your faith in juries, there have been many miscarriages of justice and I've served on one; it was a joke.

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The officer did not have access to CCTV when he made the decision. He had to make repeated difficult decisions in fractions of a second in order to protect you, the public!

In a situation where you came face to face with someone like Kaba would you be able to handle it or would you call the police?

Pleasealexa · 21/10/2024 19:59

username35890

Why didn't he stop when asked? Why did he drove so aggressively?

I think you have to recognise the fear the officers would have had. I doubt anyone can prepare for that scenario. The noise of the car crashing and revving would have suggested his intention was to escaping at any cost, including harming the officers. Had he driven off, innocent people in addition to the police could have been injured. I think that's a reasonable assessment from the video evidence of aggressive driving.

Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 20:00

It doesn't tally with the officer's claim that police lives were in imminent danger. They clearly weren't. He could see the car was stationary and that the driver had his hands on the steering wheel.
I would agree with you if he was holding a gun or was coming at speed. But he shot an unarmed man in the head in a stationary car.

But the car wasn’t stationary because as you said it bumped behind and to the side?
How does the officer know there isn’t a gun? Because it’s not been pointed at him?
Hands on the steering wheel doesn’t mean you can’t accelerate?
Why drive forward when the police officer on the passengers side points a gun & shouts?
A slow moving car can still do considerable damage to a human standing in front of it?
Why not turn off the engine?

Now from Chris’s perspective I can see that his actions might have been just him panicking as we don’t know how we will react in these situations.

Original poster

Toomanywars · 21/10/2024 20:03

Pleasealexa · 21/10/2024 19:59

username35890

Why didn't he stop when asked? Why did he drove so aggressively?

I think you have to recognise the fear the officers would have had. I doubt anyone can prepare for that scenario. The noise of the car crashing and revving would have suggested his intention was to escaping at any cost, including harming the officers. Had he driven off, innocent people in addition to the police could have been injured. I think that's a reasonable assessment from the video evidence of aggressive driving.

Exactly.

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Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 20:04

The problem is the situation is fraught, the police offers are fearful & Chris wound have been too.

Astrabees · 21/10/2024 20:08

There is no integrity in the Metropolitan Police. Whether they are driving or using firearms the cavalier attitude, total disregard for safety and trying to cover their tracks afterwards is very clear and totally disgusting. There are a long list of cases - Jean Charles de Menezes, William Cameron, Heather Smedley and many more who have lost their lives to incompetence and worse. The organisation that nurtured Wayne Cousins and the officers who behaved so appallingly to the bodies of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman is not one that any of us can rely on to uphold standards of even common decency. Chris Kaba and his family did not get justice.

NewGreenDuck · 21/10/2024 20:14

Chris Kaba was a criminal, he had a record for firearms offences. He was in a gang who conspired to commit murder. He wasn't an angel. He was driving a car that was suspected of being involved in a shooting. None of it looks good. He didn't stop the car, he didn't turn the engine off, he clearly wanted out. He was the architect of his own downfall.

Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 20:14

I agree that the Met has serious shortcomings but I don’t think you can can group this police officer with the likes of Wayne C and those who photographed dead bodies. It’s completely different circumstances & I would say more similar to Jean Charles de Menezes but his of course was wrong identity but the officer didn’t know that at the time.

Bikessmikes · 21/10/2024 20:16

Chris Kaba was a criminal, he had a record for firearms offences. He was in a gang who conspired to commit murder. He wasn't an angel. He was driving a car that was suspected of being involved in a shooting. None of it looks good.

No it doesn’t and whilst of course it doesn’t mean he deserves to die (he didn’t) the police officer is thinking this hence why he sees him as a threat.

GiveMeVodkaPlease · 21/10/2024 20:17

@MilletOver - as far as I can see Kaba isn't mentioned in that article?

YellowSundress · 21/10/2024 20:21

This is nothing at all like wayne couzens and it's offensive to draw comparisons between a police officer who used his badge and status to rape and viciously murder a woman, and a police officer who had a split second to make a decision to protect the public when faced with a violent gang member who was trying to ram police officers with a car, with a history of violence and the very high likelihood that there was a gun in the car.

If you don't want to run the risk of falling foul of the police, don't get involved in gangs. Don't partake in gun crime. When the police ask you to stop and get out of the car, do it and don't try and ram them.