London: Police tried to undermine inquiry into Stockwell shooting
times: Scotland Yard put pressure on the Home Office to call off an independent commission from investigating the death of Jean Charles de Menezes Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, tried to delay an independent inquiry into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes hours after his death.
Sir Ian claimed that an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission would impede the police's counter-terrorist investigations.
But Scotland Yard's attempt was rejected by the Home Office, which told Sir Ian that it would be illegal and destroy the credibility of the IPCC.
The details emerged as a bitter row grew between the commissioner and Nick Hardwick, the head of the IPCC, over the leaks from the inquiry's interim report on Tuesday.
The Times has learnt that Sir Ian has written to Mr Hardwick demanding that a police force from outside London should be called in to investigate how material highly damaging to Scotland Yard reached ITV.
Police sources say they are certain that the material has come from IPCC files. A leaked pathology report was prepared after the IPCC opened its inquiry and police computer experts say that the documents, given to ITV News, were produced on computers that the Yard does not use.
As a result of the leaks the IPCC said that it would brief the de Menezes family lawyers on their findings so far today.
The leaked file, which includes statements and photographs, shows a "series of catastrophic errors". One of the surveillance team, a seconded soldier, was meant to establish whether the man leaving the block of flats which was being watched was a suspect in the 21/7 London bombings. But he was relieving himself as Mr de Menezes left and could not identify him. His statement to the inquiry read: "At this time I was not able to transmit my observations and switch on the video camera at the same time. There is therefore no video footage of this male."
Fresh material shown last night also revealed that police had been tailing a car that had allegedly been spotted at a terror training camp in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales. It was registered to the address in South London where Mr de Menezes lived.
When the surveillance operation began one officer, codenamed Hotel Three, asked for permission to detain Mr de Menezes before he reached the station but this was refused.
The papers show there were three surveillance officers in the carriage at Stockwell station where the Brazilian sat down seconds before he was killed. One had to hold the doors open with his foot to let a team of marksmen in and point out Mr de Menezes.
Yesterday Scotland Yard confirmed that Sir Ian wrote to Sir John Gieve, the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, asking for a "review" of the position of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which has the legal responsibility to scrutinise police shootings. Read more
db: Open warfare between the IPCC and the Met!
Sir Ian claimed that an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission would impede the police's counter-terrorist investigations.
But Scotland Yard's attempt was rejected by the Home Office, which told Sir Ian that it would be illegal and destroy the credibility of the IPCC.
The details emerged as a bitter row grew between the commissioner and Nick Hardwick, the head of the IPCC, over the leaks from the inquiry's interim report on Tuesday.
The Times has learnt that Sir Ian has written to Mr Hardwick demanding that a police force from outside London should be called in to investigate how material highly damaging to Scotland Yard reached ITV.
Police sources say they are certain that the material has come from IPCC files. A leaked pathology report was prepared after the IPCC opened its inquiry and police computer experts say that the documents, given to ITV News, were produced on computers that the Yard does not use.
As a result of the leaks the IPCC said that it would brief the de Menezes family lawyers on their findings so far today.
The leaked file, which includes statements and photographs, shows a "series of catastrophic errors". One of the surveillance team, a seconded soldier, was meant to establish whether the man leaving the block of flats which was being watched was a suspect in the 21/7 London bombings. But he was relieving himself as Mr de Menezes left and could not identify him. His statement to the inquiry read: "At this time I was not able to transmit my observations and switch on the video camera at the same time. There is therefore no video footage of this male."
Fresh material shown last night also revealed that police had been tailing a car that had allegedly been spotted at a terror training camp in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales. It was registered to the address in South London where Mr de Menezes lived.
When the surveillance operation began one officer, codenamed Hotel Three, asked for permission to detain Mr de Menezes before he reached the station but this was refused.
The papers show there were three surveillance officers in the carriage at Stockwell station where the Brazilian sat down seconds before he was killed. One had to hold the doors open with his foot to let a team of marksmen in and point out Mr de Menezes.
Yesterday Scotland Yard confirmed that Sir Ian wrote to Sir John Gieve, the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, asking for a "review" of the position of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which has the legal responsibility to scrutinise police shootings. Read more
db: Open warfare between the IPCC and the Met!
posted by exoplanet at 10:50 AM
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