Completed
· Chair: HH Clement Goldstone KC
· Established February 2020
· Commissioned by Home Office
Public inquiry into the death of Jermaine Baker during a Metropolitan Police Service armed operation on 11 December 2015.
More about this inquiry
Public inquiry into the death of Jermaine Baker during a Metropolitan Police Service armed operation on 11 December 2015. The inquiry examined the planning, authorisation and conduct of the operation.
There should be an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Rules which govern the process in applications for a firearms presence in court – a requirement for witness statements, sworn evidence and the taping of proceedings should all be included.
Since then (summary written by this site)
In October 2022, Lord Justice Holroyde, deputy chairman of the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, stated on behalf of the Committee that the recommendation was not accepted, noting that while it would be content if the Senior Presiding Judge proposed amending relevant Criminal Practice Directions currently under review, members unanimously considered Practice Directions the more appropriate authority and agreed that "Criminal Procedure Rules should not be substituted for those Directions" (Lord Justice Holroyde response, Oct 2022). The record holds no update since the Committee's response of October 2022 (Lord Justice Holroyde response, Oct 2022).
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of LordsBaroness Williams of Trafford · Conservative
Statement: My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Priti Patel) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:On 12 February 2020, I announced the establishment an independent Inquiry, under the Inquiries Act 2005, to investigate the circumstances involved in the death …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsPriti Patel · Conservative
Statement: On 12 February 2020, I announced the establishment an independent Inquiry, under the Inquiries Act 2005, to investigate the circumstances involved in the death of Jermaine Baker during a Metropolitan Police Service operation on 11 December 2015. Today, the Chair of the Inquiry, His Honour …
The Jermaine Baker Inquiry, chaired by Clement Goldstone QC, examined the fatal shooting of Jermaine Baker by a Metropolitan Police firearms officer on 11 December 2015. The inquiry's final report, published in July 2022, made 26 recommendations focused on improving armed policing practices, command structures, training, and accountability mechanisms.
The government accepted 22 of the 26 recommendations (85%), with four remaining under consideration. The Metropolitan Police Service provided a formal response in October 2022, detailing actions taken on recommendations directed to them. Key documented changes include the College of Policing's comprehensive update to the Authorised Professional Practice on Armed Policing in August 2023, which incorporated multiple inquiry recommendations.
Specific operational changes within the MPS include the separation of the Strategic Firearms Commander role from investigation teams following an internal review led by DAC Barbara Gray, and the replacement of glass hammers with extendable X-ball devices for all firearms officers. The MPS reported significant improvements in covert monitoring training, with over 480 operatives receiving awareness training on accurate note-taking and dissemination systems.
The inquiry's recommendations on police accountability gained renewed attention following the W80 misconduct case. The Police Accountability Rapid Review, published in October 2025 and led by Tim Godwin and Sir Adrian Fulford, was directly prompted by the W80/Baker case. The government accepted the review's recommendation to raise the standard of proof for use of force in misconduct cases from civil to criminal, with regulatory changes intended for Spring 2026.
However, evidence of progress remains incomplete for several recommendations. As of August 2023, eight recommendations were marked as 'In Progress' with no subsequent updates available. Four recommendations directed to bodies including the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee and regarding IOPC powers show no published evidence of action. The MPS has not developed a Standard Operating Procedure as recommended, citing the pending national D-DaCS system as the reason for delay.
Reforms attributed to this inquiry · AI-generated- College of Policing updated Authorised Professional Practice on Armed Policing (APP-AP) in August 2023, incorporating multiple inquiry recommendations - Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) separated Strategic Firearms Commander role from investigation team following internal review (2021-2022) - MPS replaced glass hammers with extendable X-ball devices for all firearms officers - 172 H2 trained staff and 480+ Covert Monitoring Posts (CMP) operatives received awareness training on accurate note-taking and dissemination systems - Police Accountability Rapid Review (October 2025) led to government accepting recommendation to raise use of force test in misconduct cases from civil to criminal standard, with changes to Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 intended for Spring 2026Unfinished business · AI-generated- Recommendation JB-15.15: MPS has not developed Standard Operating Procedure pending national D-DaCS system - Recommendation JB-15.21: Directed to Criminal Procedure Rule Committee with no published evidence of action - Recommendation JB-15.24: No evidence of implementation regarding IOPC management action powers despite broader police accountability reforms - Recommendation JB-15.25: No evidence of action on simple misconduct surviving resignation despite broader regulatory changes planned - Multiple recommendations (JB-15.3, JB-15.6, JB-15.7, JB-15.20, JB-15.22, JB-15.23, JB-15.26) marked as 'In Progress' in August 2023 with no subsequent updates
Key facts
Duration: 2 years, 4 monthsTotal reported cost: £4.1m