Sgt Martyn Blake, the police marksman involved in the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Chris Kaba in Streatham, south London, in 2022, is likely to bypass disciplinary proceedings. This shift follows a government decision to align the legal standards for police use-of-force misconduct cases with those of criminal law.
Blake, who was previously acquitted of murder by a jury in 2024, had been facing a disciplinary review paused by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) while awaiting regulatory updates. Under the revised framework, the threshold for misconduct now mirrors the standard applied in criminal court, meaning actions deemed lawful in a criminal context will generally not trigger disciplinary dismissal.
IOPC officials stated that this change ensures consistency and fairness for officers, predicting that only a limited number of ongoing cases will be impacted. However, the Kaba family and their representatives expressed deep frustration, characterizing the decision as a retreat from police accountability that occurs mid-process. The family continues to argue that exceptional circumstances merit the continuation of the disciplinary hearing.
Metropolitan Police leadership welcomed the change, maintaining that there is no basis for further action against the officer. The incident involving Kaba began when police boxed in an Audi linked to prior firearms reports; officers were unaware of the driver’s identity at the time. Similar non-fatal force cases across the UK may also be reconsidered as a result of these new guidelines.
