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Chris Kaba cop colleague warns 'public safety at risk' over gross misconduct hearing decision
1 May 2025, 06:30 | Updated: 1 May 2025, 10:44
Public safety will be put at risk because of a decision to proceed with misconduct proceedings against a firearms officer who was previously cleared of the murder of gangster Chris Kaba, a colleague of the Met cop tells LBC.
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The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) announced yesterday that Sgt Martyn Blake, a Metropolitan Police firearms officer, will face allegations of gross misconduct relating to the shooting in south London in September 2022.
The decision has sparked outrage amongst close colleagues of Sgt Blake – previously known as NX121 – who was unanimously acquitted of the murder of Kaba, 24, after just a couple of hours of deliberation, in October last year.
Speaking exclusively to LBC, one of Sgt Blake’s colleagues who was there on the night of the shooting, says the decision by the IOPC will mean less firearms officers on the streets.
The officer, who we are not naming, left the force shortly after Sgt Blake was charged with murder.
He told LBC: “There are fewer firearms officers because of what’s happened to NX121. We all hoped it would be over but now (the IOPC decision) is going to affect firearms officers.
“It would be a logical step that if they feel like the risk to their liberty and to their overall wellbeing and their mental health and their family security is so great that it's not worth it, then officers may well vote with their feet, and I couldn't blame them for doing so.
'Unreasonable' of IOPC to hold gross misconduct hearing into Chris Kaba's killer, says LBC caller
“That said, those that remain have made the right decision for them and I honestly think they're the most remarkable people in our country and I think we should do far more to show our gratitude.
“Public safety is put at risk when there are fewer firearms officers, or they are caused to second guess what they're doing for fear of unfair and very long running scrutinous processes that happen when they've acted in accordance with their training and entirely without malice and done their job.
"I think the IOPC need to be really careful as they seek to do a really important job and perform a really important social function, which is to hold policing to account. And no police officer will doubt or underestimate the huge need for that.
But where that becomes something which looks and feels more like a witch hunt, then officers will respond to that."
Kaba was unarmed when he was shot in the head by Sgt Blake through the windscreen of a car he was driving in Streatham, south London
Sgt Blake’s unit blocked in Kaba's car after receiving information it was linked to a shooting outside a school the night before.
Bodyworn camera footage of the incident played at the murder trial showed Kaba trying to escape, reversing backwards into an unmarked police car, before the trigger was pulled.
Following the acquittal, a judge lifted reporting restrictions preventing media from reporting Kaba’s criminal background.
It was revealed that Kaba was a senior member of a gang called ‘67’ in Brixton Hill.
After Sgt Blake was charged with murder in September 2023, it was reported that dozens of Met Police firearms officers refused to go out on armed patrols and more than 70 police marksmen said they wanted time to consider whether or not they will wished to carry a gun.
Police said he was the gunman in an assassination attempt of a gang rival in August 2022.
The prosecution of the officer who shot Chris Kaba was a 'catastrophic waste of resources', says criminal barrister
Following the IOPC announcement yesterday, the Kaba family welcomed the decision and said they wanted the officer to be sacked.
In a statement issued through the charity Inquest, Mr Kaba's family said: "What Martyn Blake did was deeply wrong. We are still so devastated to have lost Chris - this should never have happened. Martyn Blake should not be allowed to remain a police officer. He should lose his job."
Sgt’s Blake’s colleague added: “Martyn did something which is absolutely tragic. I'll rejoice in no person losing their life whatsoever. It was an unpalatable thing that we witnessed in Streatham on that night in September 2022.
“However, it was, although tragic, it was a case of Martyn acting in accordance with his training doing his job to protect himself, his colleagues and members of the public more generally. And that tends to get lost in the conversation, I fear.”
Met Police Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “We recognise the significant impact of Mr Kaba’s death on his family who continue to grieve the loss of a loved one.
“Since NX121 was acquitted, the IOPC has been reconsidering whether he should face misconduct proceedings. We made strong representations that he should not face any further action due to the extensive evidence tried and tested at court and the not guilty verdict returned by the jury.
“We know another lengthy process will fall heavily on the shoulders of NX121 and more widely our firearms officers, who continue to bravely and tirelessly police the streets of London every day to protect the public.”
