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| Baltimore mayor sacks police chief months after riots | Baltimore mayor sacks police chief months after riots |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Baltimore's mayor has sacked the US city's police chief, saying his leadership had become a distraction from fighting a "crime surge". | Baltimore's mayor has sacked the US city's police chief, saying his leadership had become a distraction from fighting a "crime surge". |
| Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was replacing Police Commissioner Anthony Batts with his deputy, Kevin Davis, for an interim period. | Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was replacing Police Commissioner Anthony Batts with his deputy, Kevin Davis, for an interim period. |
| The city was rocked by riots in April when a black man died after suffering injuries in police custody. | The city was rocked by riots in April when a black man died after suffering injuries in police custody. |
| Six officers were charged over the death of the 25-year-old, Freddie Gray. | Six officers were charged over the death of the 25-year-old, Freddie Gray. |
| Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Batts had "served this city with distinction" since becoming police chief in October 2012. | |
| But referring to the city's high homicide rate, she said "too many continue to die". | But referring to the city's high homicide rate, she said "too many continue to die". |
| "The focus has been too much on the leadership of the department and not enough on the crime fighting," she told reporters, adding: "We need to get the crime surge under control." | |
| The city has seen a sharp increase in violence since Freddie Gray's death on 19 April, with 155 homicides this year, a 48% increase over the same period last year. | |
| On Tuesday, the police department announced that an outside organisation will review its response to the civil unrest that followed Mr Gray's death. | |
| The US justice department is also conducting a civil rights review of the Baltimore force and Mr Batts has been criticised by the city's police union. | |
| Earlier on Wednesday, the union released its report into the police handling of the rioting. | |
| It said officers had complained "that they lacked basic riot equipment, training, and, as events unfolded, direction from leadership". | |
| The report also said "officers repeatedly expressed concern that the passive response to the civil unrest had allowed the disorder to grow into full scale rioting". | |
| Recent events had "placed attention on police leadership", Ms Rawlings-Blake said, but denied her decision was influenced by the union report. | |
| Mr Davis, who is taking over immediately as interim police chief, praised his "friend" Mr Batts and said he was a "true reform commissioner". | |
| Mayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Davis would "bring accountability to police, hold officers who act out of line accountable for their actions". |