The leader of Britain’s black and Asian police officers has been placed under investigation over a tweet, reports The Guardian.
Ch Insp Andy George’s tweet followed the case of the firearms officer Martyn Blake, who was cleared of murder by a jury after shooting dead an unarmed man, Chris Kaba. Blake was promoted from sergeant to inspector after the court’s decision.
At the time of the shooting Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Kim Johnson, and former Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, were among prominent people who raised concerns about potential police racism or called for “justice for Chris Kaba”.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the shooting had caused “anger, pain and fear” for black Londoners.
Blake shot Kaba, 24, on September 5, 2022 on a narrow residential street in the Streatham Hill neighbourhood in south London.
Kaba was unarmed and driving an Audi that police believed was linked to a shooting the previous day, which they forced to stop.
He had tried to drive away while boxed in by police vehicles when Blake fired a single round through the Audi’s windshield after Kaba began ramming the police cars in an attempt to escape.
Kaba’s family called for accountability in a statement, saying, “We are worried that if Chris had not been Black, he would have been arrested on Monday evening and not had his life cut short.”
Following the ruling over Blake, George tweeted: “Regardless of your feelings on the case, this will come as a slap in the face to the disproportionate number of Black officers under investigation for misconduct and being held back in their own careers! No doubt an impact on Black Londoners as well.”
Investigation
The decision to place George under investigation was made by the force he works for, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
George, the president of the National Black Police Association said: “It is deeply concerning that I am facing misconduct proceedings simply for speaking out on issues that directly impact Black officers and communities.
“My role is to advocate for fairness, accountability and justice within policing. This action sends a chilling message, not just to me, but to all Black officers who raise concerns about racial disparities in policing.
“It stifles free speech, undermines my ability to represent our members and reinforces the very inequalities we are fighting to address.
“Policing must be open to scrutiny, not silence those who seek positive change.
“This is the latest in a series of misconduct proceedings brought for engagement on X and is in stark contrast to how the [Police] Federation and senior officers are treated when they speak out.”
He has since shared the link to the Guardian article on X.
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