Being an operational firearms officer in London is one of the world’s toughest jobs.
Officers, who volunteer for the role, know the responsibility and accountability that comes with it.
But our police officers must have confidence that they have the protection needed to do the difficult and dangerous job society expects of them.
The Metropolitan Police Federation has supported Officer NX1 and Officer MY55 who have been through Criminal and now an IOPC directed Gross Misconduct proceedings following this incident.
Why? They have rightly been exonerated from doing any wrong.
Police officers have no issue with being held accountable for their actions – we are the most accountable of public services. But this oversight should be fair and timely… and not take more than five years.
Who from the hindsight brigade – taking years to pour over the split-second decisions our colleagues have to make to keep the public safe - is held to account for what they have unnecessarily and protractedly put our colleagues through?
We ask that our colleagues NX1 and MY55 are now left to carry on their careers.
