Britain sees sharp increase in police shooting

A sharp increase in the number of people shot by British police and killed in police traffic pursuits was reported Tuesday.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said in its annual report for 2017 that there were six fatal police shootings, higher than any year since the IPCC began collecting statistics in 2004.

One of those shot and killed was the Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood who murdered a police officer at the Houses of Parliament.

Dame Anne Owers, chair of the IPCC,said:"While the number of fatal police shootings has risen this year, this is in the context of many thousands of authorised firearms operations -- 14,700 in 2015/16. The deaths happened across six forces, and one was terrorism-related."

The IPPC's annual death statistics also show there were 28 deaths related to police pursuits of vehicles, more than in any year since 2005/06.

Also, 14 deaths in police custody were investigated, the second lowest figure recorded by the IPCC and fewer than half the number when the IPCC began in 2004.

Owers said the rise in pursuit-related deaths is noticeable. None were in response to emergencies, and two-thirds of the people who died were passengers, bystanders or other road users. All but two incidents involved cars.

"We will be working with the National Police Chiefs' Council to look at the causes and whether any changes to police pursuit safety or training are needed," she said.