A murder trial ends with an unresolved question: can officers maintain public trust and operate effectively while being held accountable?

This week, there was a pivotal moment in Britain’s debate over police shootings, as a jury acquitted a police officer of murdering a young Black man in south London. The case raises questions about how the police can operate effectively and with public confidence while being held accountable for any improper actions. Such deaths leave Black families grieving and officers resentful for being put on trial. The 2011 shooting of another Black man led to the biggest riots in modern English history.

The hope is that no such unrest follows the acquittal of the Metropolitan police officer Martyn Blake, who was cleared of murdering 24-year-old Chris Kaba by shooting him in the head in 2022. Jurors took just three hours to reach a unanimous verdict after three weeks of arguments at the Old Bailey. For Mr Kaba’s family, it was confirmation that “his life does not matter to the system”. The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, argued that Mr Blake “should never have stood trial”. At least scores of officers stepped back from firearms duties last year in protest over Mr Blake being charged with murder.