AT A time of national mourning it is important to reflect that there is no hierarchy when it comes to the value of life. 

Many people feel that the Queen deserves her special ceremonial period of mourning and burial. That is only to be expected for such a long reign and such a well-loved monarch.

Yet many others have died over the same period, including Chris Kaba. And unlike our departed Queen, he did not die peacefully in his bed at a good age, surrounded by his loved ones. He was just 24 years old and was gunned down in the street by officers of the Metropolitan Police.  

The full facts of the case have yet to be established, but it is uncontested that he was the target of aggressive “hard stop” by armed officers, and that he was shot despite being unarmed.

A campaign for justice for Chris Kaba has already been established and taken important public protests. Millions of viewers on Sky TV especially will have seen the recent demo, although they were initially told it was a memorial walk for the Queen.

The mainstream media have an unfortunate habit of erasing inconvenient truths when they have decided what “the story” is, and it is amazing how often it happens to black people.

There are two key aspects to this case which should concern every democrat, every progressive person, every citizen. 

The first is how this relates to the wider treatment of black people, and other ethnic groups in this country. The second is how it affects how society is policed in general and what that means for everyone.

The suspension of the officer who fired the fatal shot finally took place a week after the incident after much pressure. 

There should be less routinism about investigations by the Independent Office of Police Complaints (IOPC), while it should be automatic or routine for the police to suspend officers pending investigation in cases of serious injury or fatality.

Of course, there needs to be a thorough investigation of the whole incident. This includes not just the actions of a single officer, but those of the entire squad of officers who made that stop and, crucially, what was their remit from senior officers, the “gold commander” or equivalent.

The family, friends and supporters of justice for Chris Kaba will want detailed and serious answers on these and many other questions. 

But the history of treatment of cases such as these provides no grounds for encouragement. As Stormzy told our rally, people will need great stamina in the fight for justice.

The record speaks for itself. Since 1990 there have been just under 1,900 deaths of members of the public after contact with the police. Astonishingly, that’s well over one person dying every week.  

Over the same period there has been just one conviction of a serving police officer. The widespread suspicion is that the police are reluctant to give up “one of their own,” no matter how serious the crime. 

The state seems unwilling to countenance any wrongdoing by any member of its forces. 

It is therefore wholly irresponsible for various members of the Police Federation to speak about the bravery of the officer concerned. 

In a similar vein, any talk of officers from armed units handing in their weapons should be completely disregarded. 

If any officer feels they have a right to kill, rather than a duty to protect, then it would be better for all concerned if they were never to hold another weapon again. 

They do not belong in a police service which is meant to be conducting policing by consent, that is, with the full co-operation of the public, all of it.

This brings us on to the second point, and how this relates to wider society. I and many others have been warning for some time about the authoritarian drive of the Tory government. 

There is no reason at all to believe that this latest reincarnation will be any better.

We have seen quite brutal policing in relation to women, the revival of discriminatory stop and search and frankly disgusting views expressed by serving police officers.  

The largest force in the country is in special measures, and stands accused of institutional corruption, misogyny and racism.

Rather than try to combat these, the government has effectively encouraged it. In the recent period we have seen legislation enacted which provides immunity from the law for armed services personnel operating overseas (in the Overseas Operations Act) and the same domestically for members of the police force (in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act). 

No wonder some officers want to act as if they are above the law.

This is all of a piece with the policies of an increasingly authoritarian government, which is attempting to snuff out campaigns, protests and strikes it does not like. The heavy-handedness and even brutality of policing is also part of the same programme.  

It is evident in the arrest of anti-monarchists, or strikers, or environmental campaigners. It is also shown in the routine police strip-searching of black children and of course, in the fatal mistreatment of people in custody or coming into contact with police, even while just driving a car.

It seems as if the government is preparing itself, the police and the wider public for a crackdown on what they expect to be resistance or even rebellion against the consequences of their failed policies. 

When police officers from the Met brutally broke up the peaceful vigil for Sarah Everard, who was raped and murdered by one of their own officers, the former Met Commissioner Cressida Dick could not accept they had done anything wrong. This is the mindset at the top.

“Only criminals have anything to fear from robust policing,” is the tired old cliche of police states and their apologists everywhere. It is not true. 

Civil liberties apply to all of us, or they do not exist. They are then simply favours, granted by the powers that be, which can be withdrawn just as easily.

Livelihoods, our planet, our lives can be at stake in the campaigns, protests or strikes we join. 

As the terrible fate of Chris Kaba shows, people can even lose their lives even when going about their daily lives. Defending all our fundamental human rights is crucial under this dangerous, repressive government.

Diane Abbott is Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington and served as shadow home secretary from 2016 to 2020.