JB-15.20 Response Accepted

Process for firearms officer return to duty after fatal shooting

Recommendation

There needs to be proper and objective consideration by the NPCC as to whether, and if so when, it is appropriate for a firearms officer to return to active deployment following their part in a fatal shooting. Such consideration must always occur at an appropriately senior level in the organisation and take account of the views of the family of the deceased and all relevant public interest matters. A proper audit trail must be kept of the process.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Metropolitan Police Service stated on 28 October 2022 that it considered this a national recommendation and did not consider it appropriate to respond at that stage (MPS Response to Jermaine Baker Inquiry, October 2022).
- The College of Policing updated APP-AP in August 2023 but the implementation of a family consultation process regarding officer redeployment following fatal shootings was noted as unclear (College of Policing APP-AP update, August 2023).
- The Police Accountability Rapid Review was published in October 2025 by Tim Godwin and Sir Adrian Fulford, directly prompted by the W80/Baker case. The review recommended amending the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 to apply the criminal law test for use of force in misconduct cases (Police Accountability Rapid Review, Home Office, October 2025).
- No published evidence of a completed NPCC protocol on officer return to active deployment following a fatal shooting, including family consultation, has been identified to March 2026.
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The evidence above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Jurisdiction
England
Section Reference
15.20
Response
Accepted
Accepted Metropolitan Police Service Initial Response
28 Oct 2022

MPS formally responded on 28 October 2022 (para 38). MPS considers this a national recommendation and did not consider it appropriate to respond at this stage.

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Accepted National Police Chiefs Council Follow-up
28 Oct 2022

No formal NPCC response published. MPS response (28 October 2022, para 38) noted this is a national recommendation. Requires NPCC to establish process for considering when a firearms officer should return to active deployment following a fatal shooting.

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Progress Timeline
government_response
23 Oct 2025

Police Accountability Rapid Review published October 2025 (Tim Godwin and Sir Adrian Fulford), directly prompted by the W80/Baker case. Government accepted recommendation to raise use of force test in misconduct cases from civil to criminal standard. Changes to Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 intended for Spring 2026. W80 misconduct hearing concluded 15 October 2025 with panel finding no case to answer.

Source
Official Report
01 Aug 2023

Status as of College of Policing APP-AP update (August 2023): In Progress

Source
Source
Inquiry Jermaine Baker Inquiry
Report Report into the Death of Jermaine Baker 05 Jul 2022
View Source
Responsible Bodies
National Police Chiefs Council Primary
Themes & Tags
Police misconduct sanctions Staff suitability and fitness Armed Policing Welfare Accountability
Recommendation age 3.9 yrs
Last formal update 23 Oct 2025