Armed police need ‘clarity’ about legal powers, Sunak says

Rishi Sunak has said armed police need “clarity” about the legal powers they have, as he backed a review by the home secretary after an unnamed officer was charged with the murder of Chris Kaba last year.

“Our firearms officers do an incredibly difficult job, they are making life or death decisions in a split second to keep us safe,” the prime minister said.

“It is important that when they’re using these legal powers, that they do so with clarity, and they have certainty about what they are doing, especially given the lethality that they are using.”

The Metropolitan Police has asked the SAS to provide counter-terrorism support after firearms officers handed in their weapons in protest against the charging of their colleague with murder.