Human rights organisations raise alarm over government’s plans for policing
City of London Police officers during a raid at a property in London used by a suspected member of a phone snatching gang, February 26, 2026HUMAN rights organisations are raising the alarm over the government’s plans for policing, warning that forces will not be held to account.
Inquest, Amnesty International, Runnymede and the Centre for Women’s Justice published an open letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood today, calling for her to reconsider plans that will “weaken the public’s ability to scrutinise” police actions.
The plans would legislate to overturn a landmark judgment following the fatal shooting of unarmed Jermaine Baker in 2015, which sets a test for police officers to justify their use of force.
The government now intends to raise the threshold for challenging a police officer’s defence, a move campaigners warn would dramatically reduce the number of cases progressing to misconduct hearings.
The plans also aim to change the law relating to the Maughan case, which concerns the standard of proof required for an unlawful killing conclusion at an inquest.
If the government pushes ahead, it will become even harder for bereaved families and victims to attain accountability, campaigners say.
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