ARMED police would rather face terrorists than regular criminals because there is less risk of a legal backlash, Britain’s top officer has told The Sun.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is calling for urgent reforms to make things fairer for officers who can face years of scrutiny over their handling of life and death incidents.
Six terrorists have been shot dead in four major incidents in London since 2017, without any firearms officers being arrested or subjected to lengthy investigations by the police watchdog.
In contrast, armed officers who have opened fire while responding to other types of crime have faced arrest, charges and lengthy disciplinary procedures.
Sir Mark said: “One thing that’s really startled me is I’ve had some of our firearms officers say to me they would rather end up confronting on the streets a well-trained terrorist than a gangster.
“Because even though they would face far more personal danger with the terrorist, they believe they’d get a fair hearing in terms of the legal processes that follow.
“Whereas with a gangster, they feel that campaign groups can influence accountability in a way that leads to something that’s unbalanced and lasts forever.”
It comes as a Home Office review is being conducted over police driving and use of force, to see if officers have enough protection under the law.
It was ordered by ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman following a mutiny by hundreds of Met firearms officers who handed in their weapons in September when a colleague was charged with murder.
Another Met firearms officer — code-named W80 — is still waiting to learn if he will face a gross misconduct panel eight years after shooting dead Jermaine Baker, who was trying to spring another criminal from prison.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is trying to force the Met to hold a disciplinary hearing, even though W80 has been exonerated by the Crown Prosecution Service and by a public inquiry.
Sir Mark said: “An inquest has looked at that shooting and the inquiry was content with integrity.
“Yet the IOPC have mandated he is now going to go on a gross misconduct hearing and we are eight years post-events.
“Even regardless of the rights and wrongs of the IOPC decision, to have someone’s career in suspended animation with that stress for eight years is not acceptable.”
Police drivers involved in fatal pursuits and crashes have also been left in limbo, spending years on restricted duties while awaiting inquests and trials.
On Friday, Sir Mark criticised the CPS and IOPC over the prosecution of armed officer PC Paul Fisher, who crashed his unmarked car while responding to a terrorist attack in Streatham, South London, in February 2020.
Jihadist Sudesh Amman, 20, had stabbed people at random before he was then shot dead by police officers.
PC Fisher was cleared of dangerous driving but the IOPC is now considering a gross misconduct case.
Sir Mark said outside court he could think of “no other country where an officer rushing to the scene of a terror attack would be hounded over four years”.
Now Sir Mark says double jeopardy criminal and civil legal processes faced by police are sapping their morale, confidence and hindering some from doing their job.
He wants speedier investigations by the watchdog and a single evidence test meeting the burden of criminal proof across misconduct hearings, inquests and court cases.
Sir Mark explained: “Through a combination of inquests, misconduct hearings and testing criminal charges, there are three legal processes which can stretch something out for five or even ten years.
“It is suspending careers and putting pressure on them and their loved ones. That’s just not acceptable when, as is usually shown in these cases, the officer acted reasonably.
“They have had this hanging over them for just doing their job along the lines of the training they were given.”
Sir Mark was speaking to The Sun at the Met’s public order and firearms training site in Gravesend, Kent.
He watched officers voluntarily going through level two public order training for policing major events and demonstrations, such as the recent pro-Palestine marches.
He said: “I find it inspiring how prepared officers are to do this, even though they know the risks to themselves. Generally, they’re more worried about the risks of the follow-up investigations from the IOPC than the risks from facing really difficult people. I find that really sad.”
To have someone’s career in suspended animation for 8 years is not acceptable.
Sir Mark Rowley
His call for a fairer system comes amid a purge against rogue Met officers, launched after he took over the reins there last year following a succession of scandals.
He said: “There are two separate issues here. We have got hundreds of officers who are behaving badly either off duty or on duty and we’re coming down on them ruthlessly.
“But it’s both possible to be ruthlessly tough on that but equally ruthlessly supportive of officers who are trying really hard in difficult circumstances, using their training and making split-second decisions.
“You can be equally ruthless in looking after the good majority and taking on the minority who let us all down.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
