A former Armed Response Sergeant has claimed that “a lot of firearms officers” had “threatened to put down their weapons” or leave the force entirely following the trial of police marksman Sergeant Martyn Blake.
Blake was acquitted of murdering 24-year-old gang member Chris Kaba after he was shot during an armed vehicle stop in Streatham in September 2022.
Following the verdict, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has launched a fresh review into the accountability and protections of firearms officers within the force.
Addressing the House of Commons today, Cooper said: “When officers act in the most dangerous situations on behalf of the state, it is vital that those officers and their families are not put in further danger during any subsequent legal proceedings.
Harry Tangye revealed that many officers ‘threatened to put down their arms’ following the events of Chris Kaba’s death
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“We also have to know that the police have the confidence to take sometimes the most difficult decisions of all in order to keep the rest of us safe.”
Speaking to GB News, former Armed Response Sergeant Harry Tangye revealed that many police marksmen “put down their weapons” in solidarity with Martyn Blake, and “a lot of armed officers” were planning on leaving their roles all together”.
Tangye explained: “Britain is a lot safer now because I know there was going to be a hell of a lot of armed officers just leaving.
“In fact, there was quite a number that you won’t know about, but I am very well aware had already put their weapons down waiting for the result of this court case.”
Protests took place outside the Old Bailey following the verdict of Chris Kaba’s trialPANoting that the verdict of the trial was the “right decision”, Tangye claimed that it could have taken “months” to train up new officers to replace the ones that had left.
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Tangye told GB News: “It’s not quite so easy to just restart again. To keep training up and keep it to the level that it should be, that can take months. So we can sleep a lot safer in our beds now than we could have done otherwise.”
Shedding more light on the officers who threatened to quit in light of the Kaba trial, Tangye added: “They came off because you can’t force someone to stay on armed response, and we don’t want people who’ve been forced.
“So they would go to frontline traffic duties or any other thing and any other department that they were qualified to do. I spoke to an officer who said there were several that he knew in his force that had downed tools until the result of this criminal case.”
When asked by Ben Leo whether he supports the review put forward by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Tangye admitted: “Well, why were Kaba’s co-offenders for the previous nightclub shooting given anonymity until conviction? It seems to be voyeurism.
Harry Tangye claimed that Blake’s children ‘could be bullied’ in future about the case by other children
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“If you’re a police officer, you are in the public eye and the press take great interest, because it’s very relevant to the ordinary man and woman in the street, as opposed to a civilian having a domestic shooting where someone is tragically killed?”
Detailing the impact of Blake being named so publicly, Tangye continued: “It means then that everyone knows who that police officer, his kids will get bullied – I’ve listened to these previous police officers who’ve been involved in shootings, and their kids are told and bullied in their playground saying ‘your dad’s a murderer’.
“Besides the point of it being extremely dangerous to know that some of the most violent, dangerous people and armed gangs are aware who you are and therefore probably where you live.”
Echoing Tangye’s point, Ben concluded: “Not only does he have a ten grand bounty on his head by some of these rotten, thuggish criminal gangs in London who want reprisals, but his kids, as you just mentioned, his name is public. He’s got family, he’s got children.”