Some police officers armed with firearms in London have decided not to carry them after one of them was charged with murder in the killing of a young black man a year ago, AFP reported.

Following this highly unusual, if not unprecedented, protest, Home Secretary Suella Braverman expressed her “full support” for armed police who “risk their lives to keep us safe”.

She added that these police officers, who “have to make split-second decisions under enormous pressure,” “shouldn’t be afraid to be on the dock for doing their duty.”

How did it get here?

A police officer went on trial Thursday for the killing of Chris Kaba, a 24-year-old man whose death sparked protests and renewed debate about racism in the police force.

Kaba was shot and killed on September 5, 2022, through the windshield of the car he was driving, which had the same license plate as the vehicle involved in the gun incident the previous day. He died a few hours later in the hospital.

The policeman was removed from duty and sued.

Most of London’s 34,000 police officers are unarmed. Of those who carry guns, “many are concerned” about the potential consequences of prosecution, a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

“They are concerned” that what happened “will mark a change in how the decisions they make in the most difficult circumstances will be evaluated,” he added.

“A number of officers” have decided to withdraw their authorization to carry police weapons “while they review their position,” a London police spokesman continued, adding that “the number has increased over the past 48 hours.”

According to the BBC, their number exceeds 100.

Faced with the scale of the traffic, armed local police officers were mobilized to patrol London on Saturday night, Britain’s PA news agency reported.

London police have a “significant capacity” of armed officers stationed across the British capital and in places such as Parliament, diplomatic headquarters and airports, a London police spokesman said.