THE Independent Office for Police Conduct announced yesterday that it has dropped gross misconduct proceedings against Martyn Blake, the Metropolitan Police firearms officer who shot dead Chris Kaba, meaning he now faces no disciplinary action of any kind.
Kaba, a 24-year-old black man, was unarmed when Blake killed him in Streatham, south London, on 5 September 2022. Blake was acquitted of murder in October 2024.
The IOPC reviewed the trial evidence and said in April 2025 that he would face a misconduct hearing.
The family later discovered that the Met had written privately to the watchdog, without telling them, asking it to withdraw the process.
In January, the family were told the proceedings were paused pending a change in the legal test for use of force cases.
That change came in June. Panels must now apply the criminal law test for self-defence rather than the civil test, which the Supreme Court had previously made clear was the correct standard and which allowed panels to find misconduct where officers had used force mistakenly.
The family made detailed representations urging the IOPC to proceed. In a letter received yesterday, the watchdog refused.
A pre-inquest review is expected this autumn before Senior Coroner Julian Morris at Inner South London Coroner’s Court, to consider whether the inquest into Kaba’s death will resume.
Deborah Coles, director of the campaign group INQUEST, said: ‘It is clear from our work that when police kill, they remain above the law.
‘The IOPC’s capitulation to firearms officers demonstrates a troubling reluctance to provide fearless and independent oversight.
‘This is a blow to the family and a chilling reminder of the serious and dangerous erosion of police accountability. It sends a message that police can act with impunity.
‘The consequences for public confidence in policing, and for meaningful scrutiny of police use of force, are profound and far-reaching.
‘They will be felt most acutely by communities that are already disproportionately policed and exposed to the greatest risks of police violence.’
Temi Mwale, of the Justice for Chris Kaba Campaign, said: ‘We are appalled by the IOPC’s decision to abandon disciplinary proceedings against Martyn Blake.
‘This is a devastating blow, not just to Chris Kaba’s family, but to everyone who cares about living in a society where the police are not above the law.
‘The extraordinary treatment of Martyn Blake throughout this case sends a dangerous message: when police kill, the system will bend over backwards to protect police officers rather than hold them accountable and deliver justice. The IOPC had a choice. Today it chose not to do the right thing.
‘The police continue to fight for absolute impunity and Britain is moving backwards on police accountability.
‘We will continue to fight for the kind of society we want to live in. A society where no one is above the law, not police officers, not anyone.’
