The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have today announced that they have decided to put on hold gross misconduct proceedings against the Metropolitan Police firearms officer who killed Chris Kaba.
Chris Kaba, a 24 year old Black man, was fatally shot by Martyn Blake, a firearms officer from the Metropolitan Police on 5 September 2022 in Streatham, London. Chris was unarmed and police officers did not know who he was at the time of the shooting.
Following a review of the case after Martyn Blake was acquitted in October 2024 of the charge of murder, in April 2025 the IOPC confirmed that Martyn Blake would face a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct in relation to his Use of Force.
However, today the IOPC informed Chris’ family that even though the relevant Notice was drafted for service on Martyn Blake in October 2025, the IOPC have decided to pause these proceedings and make a new set of decisions once planned changes to the law on police disciplinary cases are put in place by the Government .
Today’s decision follows a private letter sent by the Metropolitan Police to the watchdog in November, without the family’s knowledge, asking them to withdraw the proceedings completely, given the planned changes to the law.
Chris’ family said: “Martyn Blake fatally shot Chris when he was unarmed and without knowing who he was. Until today, Martyn Blake was quite correctly facing imminent disciplinary proceedings for that use of force.
We cannot understand why we, as Chris’ family, only learned for the first time today that the Met invited the IOPC to drop proceedings against Martyn Blake back in November.
We are devastated that the IOPC has decided under this kind of police pressure to put on hold the preparations for Martyn Blake’s gross misconduct proceedings.
The IOPC could and should have consulted us last year, in advance of this decision. We would have said then, and we say now, that preparations for these proceedings should continue without more disruption and delay. To not involve us until after a decision to pause has been made is deeply disappointing and has damaged our confidence in the independence of the IOPC. The lack of consideration shown to us in this process adds to our trauma and our sense of injustice.”
Deborah Coles, Director of INQUEST, said: "When police use force, the public deserves swift, transparent and genuinely independent scrutiny.
Instead, today’s decision shows once again that officers are protected every step of the way. It is alarming that the police watchdog appears to have bowed to pressure from the Metropolitan Police, whilst Chris' family were kept in the dark.
The government is already stripping back what little police accountability the public and bereaved families have.
At a time when public trust in policing is at rock bottom, excluding bereaved families from considerations which affect them so profoundly is indefensible. The police must never be allowed to influence how their own actions are investigated."
Daniel Machover and Ellie Cornish of Hickman and Rose, who represent the family, said: “More than three years have passed since Chris Kaba was fatally shot by Martyn Blake.
It is deeply distressing to his family that they now face yet more waiting and uncertainty, and to learn that they were not made aware in real time of representations made last year by the Met to the IOPC that these proceedings should be withdrawn altogether, which has led directly to the decision announced by the IOPC today.
It cannot be right to stop this process to await the promised future change to the legal test for bringing disciplinary proceedings for breach of the Use of Force standard, making it the criminal law test in future cases.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
For further information contact Leila Hagmann on leilahagmann@inquest.org.uk.
Follow the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign here.
Chris’s family are represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group members Daniel Machover and Ellie Cornish of Hickman & Rose, and Matthew Ryder KC and Ifeanyi Odogwu of Matrix Chambers. The family are supported by INQUEST.
RELEVANT BACKGROUND
In October 2025, the Home Office published its response to a rapid review into police accountability which was announced following the acquittal of Martyn Blake of the murder of Chris Kaba.
In October 2024, following the acquittal of Martyn Blake, the Home Office commissioned a review into police accountability. This review recommended changes to how police use of force is assessed in misconduct cases.
Read INQUEST's joint submission to the Police Accountability Review 2024-25.
A review by Baroness Casey in 2023 found that the Metropolitan police was institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynistic. Looking at the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Firearms Command unit (MO19), which Martyn Blake was in when he shot Chris Kaba, the report found a ‘deeply troubling, toxic culture’ where ‘normal rules do not seem to apply.’
CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS OF POLICE OFFICERS INVOLVED IN DEATHS
Since 1990 there have been 1,948 deaths recorded by INQUEST in or following police custody or contact. In that time only one on duty police officer has been found guilty of manslaughter in 2021, and none for murder.
Dalian Atkinson, 48, died on 15 August 2016, following use of force by officers of West Mercia police. PC Benjamin Monk was found guilty of his manslaughter, and was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2021. More information.
In total there have been 12 murder or manslaughter prosecutions brought relating to on duty police officers, including the prosecution of Martyn Blake and the prosecution in the Dalian Atkinson case.
The ten other murder and manslaughter charges did not result in guilty verdicts. Three of these previous cases related to police shootings (this is the fourth), two of which were by Metropolitan Police officers.
Prosecutions have also been brought following deaths in police contact under Health and Safety legislation.
Other criminal charges against officers, such as perjury and misconduct in public office, have been brought following deaths in custody, but most have led to acquittals or not guilty verdicts.
FATAL POLICE SHOOTINGS
Since 1990, INQUEST is aware of 88 people that have been fatally shot by the police in England and Wales.
There have been three other murder or manslaughter prosecutions following police shootings:
Chris Kaba
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The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have today announced that they have decided to put on hold gross misconduct proceedings against the Metropolitan Police firearms officer who killed Chris Kaba.
Chris Kaba, a 24 year old Black man, was fatally shot by Martyn Blake, a firearms officer from the Metropolitan Police on 5 September 2022 in Streatham, London. Chris was unarmed and police officers did not know who he was at the time of the shooting.
Following a review of the case after Martyn Blake was acquitted in October 2024 of the charge of murder, in April 2025 the IOPC confirmed that Martyn Blake would face a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct in relation to his Use of Force.
However, today the IOPC informed Chris’ family that even though the relevant Notice was drafted for service on Martyn Blake in October 2025, the IOPC have decided to pause these proceedings and make a new set of decisions once planned changes to the law on police disciplinary cases are put in place by the Government .
Today’s decision follows a private letter sent by the Metropolitan Police to the watchdog in November, without the family’s knowledge, asking them to withdraw the proceedings completely, given the planned changes to the law.
Chris’ family said: “Martyn Blake fatally shot Chris when he was unarmed and without knowing who he was. Until today, Martyn Blake was quite correctly facing imminent disciplinary proceedings for that use of force.
We cannot understand why we, as Chris’ family, only learned for the first time today that the Met invited the IOPC to drop proceedings against Martyn Blake back in November.
We are devastated that the IOPC has decided under this kind of police pressure to put on hold the preparations for Martyn Blake’s gross misconduct proceedings.
The IOPC could and should have consulted us last year, in advance of this decision. We would have said then, and we say now, that preparations for these proceedings should continue without more disruption and delay. To not involve us until after a decision to pause has been made is deeply disappointing and has damaged our confidence in the independence of the IOPC. The lack of consideration shown to us in this process adds to our trauma and our sense of injustice.”
Deborah Coles, Director of INQUEST, said: "When police use force, the public deserves swift, transparent and genuinely independent scrutiny.
Instead, today’s decision shows once again that officers are protected every step of the way. It is alarming that the police watchdog appears to have bowed to pressure from the Metropolitan Police, whilst Chris' family were kept in the dark.
The government is already stripping back what little police accountability the public and bereaved families have.
At a time when public trust in policing is at rock bottom, excluding bereaved families from considerations which affect them so profoundly is indefensible. The police must never be allowed to influence how their own actions are investigated."
Daniel Machover and Ellie Cornish of Hickman and Rose, who represent the family, said: “More than three years have passed since Chris Kaba was fatally shot by Martyn Blake.
It is deeply distressing to his family that they now face yet more waiting and uncertainty, and to learn that they were not made aware in real time of representations made last year by the Met to the IOPC that these proceedings should be withdrawn altogether, which has led directly to the decision announced by the IOPC today.
It cannot be right to stop this process to await the promised future change to the legal test for bringing disciplinary proceedings for breach of the Use of Force standard, making it the criminal law test in future cases.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
For further information contact Leila Hagmann on leilahagmann@inquest.org.uk.
Follow the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign here.
Chris’s family are represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group members Daniel Machover and Ellie Cornish of Hickman & Rose, and Matthew Ryder KC and Ifeanyi Odogwu of Matrix Chambers. The family are supported by INQUEST.
RELEVANT BACKGROUND
In October 2025, the Home Office published its response to a rapid review into police accountability which was announced following the acquittal of Martyn Blake of the murder of Chris Kaba.
In October 2024, following the acquittal of Martyn Blake, the Home Office commissioned a review into police accountability. This review recommended changes to how police use of force is assessed in misconduct cases.
Read INQUEST's joint submission to the Police Accountability Review 2024-25.
A review by Baroness Casey in 2023 found that the Metropolitan police was institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynistic. Looking at the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Firearms Command unit (MO19), which Martyn Blake was in when he shot Chris Kaba, the report found a ‘deeply troubling, toxic culture’ where ‘normal rules do not seem to apply.’
CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS OF POLICE OFFICERS INVOLVED IN DEATHS
Since 1990 there have been 1,948 deaths recorded by INQUEST in or following police custody or contact. In that time only one on duty police officer has been found guilty of manslaughter in 2021, and none for murder.
Dalian Atkinson, 48, died on 15 August 2016, following use of force by officers of West Mercia police. PC Benjamin Monk was found guilty of his manslaughter, and was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2021. More information.
In total there have been 12 murder or manslaughter prosecutions brought relating to on duty police officers, including the prosecution of Martyn Blake and the prosecution in the Dalian Atkinson case.
The ten other murder and manslaughter charges did not result in guilty verdicts. Three of these previous cases related to police shootings (this is the fourth), two of which were by Metropolitan Police officers.
Prosecutions have also been brought following deaths in police contact under Health and Safety legislation.
Other criminal charges against officers, such as perjury and misconduct in public office, have been brought following deaths in custody, but most have led to acquittals or not guilty verdicts.
FATAL POLICE SHOOTINGS
Since 1990, INQUEST is aware of 88 people that have been fatally shot by the police in England and Wales.
There have been three other murder or manslaughter prosecutions following police shootings:
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