Federation: Police officers deserve protection from Government when they constantly put themselves at risk

23 October 2024

Firearms police officers facing trial over shooting suspects will receive anonymity up to the point of conviction, the Home Secretary has said.

Yvette Cooper's announcement comes days after police officer Sgt Martyn Blake was cleared of murdering Chris Kaba.

Anonymity will stand on the rare instances firearms officers in England and Wales face criminal charges, Cooper said.

The reform to anonymity is part of a new package aimed at police accountability, which includes several measures proposed by the previous Government in March.

They include:

- Speeding up the process for the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog to send cases to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

- Raising the threshold for the IOPC to refer officers to the CPS

- Ensuring the highly specialised nature of certain policing tactics and tools is reflected in investigative guidance

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “In life-or-death situations firearms officers face split second decision making to protect members of the public from dangerous offenders.

“The new legal presumption of anonymity for firearms officers involved in criminal proceedings is welcome news, and I am pleased that this decision is one of common sense which should offer armed officers some reassurance when carrying out their job.

“The need to buck the trend to find fault in everything the police do is long overdue as police officers currently find themselves in the difficult position of being damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

“The Government need to understand that policing today is a complex and demanding role that moves at an incredibly fast pace resulting in quick decision making in order to protect the public.

“When the public need us they expect our protection and police officers deserve the same protection from Government when they constantly put themselves at risk to protect others.

“GMP colleagues come to work to do the best they can and in return the least they should expect is for the Government to do the same for them.”