Make it harder to put officers on trial, police leaders urge No 10

Force chiefs accused of seeking 'immunity' from risk of prosecution

- Vikram Dodd

Police chiefs have formally asked the government to make it harder to investigate and prosecute officers after the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba led to a Scotland Yard sergeant being acquitted of murder, the Guardian has learned.

Campaigners criticised the move, saying calls to redraw the rules were a "cynical attempt" by police leaders to secure "effective immunity" for officers. The home secretary is expected to make an announcement imminently about speeding up a review of how police are held to account.

A jury took three hours on Monday to throw out the charge against Martyn Blake, the Met police officer who shot dead the unarmed suspect Kaba.

Demands for reform have been lodged with the government by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC). Among them is a call to make it harder to find officers guilty of unlawful killing at inquests, and also the right for the accused to remain anonymous until conviction if charged with an offence committed exercising duties.

The changes would cover all use of force while on duty, not just shootings, while also offering “greater protections” for police drivers who injured members of the public or crashed. As well as the NPCC, the Met has also issued calls for change. It has asked for anonymity for firearms officers as a minimum, and for all officers who face criminal charges resulting from their duties, until a jury returns a guilty verdict.

Blake was named six months after being charged - and as a result of a legal challenge to his anonymity by British news organisations.

Among the measures police chiefs who make up the NPCC have presented to government are: