Ian Blair Faces Conduct Probe Over De Menezes
bloomberg: London Police Chief Blair Faces Conduct Probe Over De Menezes
London police chief Sir Ian Blair faces an inquiry into his conduct in the wake of the shooting in July of an innocent Brazilian, after the victim's family complained that "false public statements'' were made by police officials about the killing.
The probe will be led by Mike Grant, a senior investigator at the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the IPCC said today in an e-mailed statement. The investigation is separate from another into the circumstances surrounding the shooting of the 27 year-old Brazilian electrician. A police spokeswoman declined in a phone interview to comment on the latest probe.
"Neither we nor Jean Charles' family want this complaint to distract us from the main task of finding out how and why Jean Charles died,'' IPCC Chair Nick Hardwick said in the statement. "We still expect our investigation into the shooting to be completed by the end of December.''
De Menezes was killed on July 22 after armed police mistook him for a suicide bomber. The shooting came a day after four bombers failed in an attempt to detonate explosives on London's transport system, and 15 days after the July 7 suicide bombings in which four bombers killed themselves and 52 other people on three London Underground subway trains and a bus.
Blair said in the wake of the shooting that de Menezes hadn't obeyed police instructions and that the killing was "directly linked'' to the anti-terrorism operation. The following day, police admitted De Menezes wasn't connected with either set of bombings.
'False Statements'
The complaint from De Menezes's family "alleges that individuals within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) made false public statements following the fatal shooting of Jean Charles at Stockwell Underground station on 22 July 2005,'' the IPCC said. "The family's letter of complaint refers to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.''
The Brazilian family also complained that the police subsequently didn't correct inaccurate information that was in the public domain, the IPCC said without elaborating. Blair in July and August was criticized by family members for failing to dispel reports that de Menezes ran into the subway and vaulted a barrier, and that he was wearing a bulky jacket.
"The IPCC has explained to the family that the IPCC itself had urged those involved not to comment on the facts of the case and so this will not form part of our investigation,'' the commission said. Link
London police chief Sir Ian Blair faces an inquiry into his conduct in the wake of the shooting in July of an innocent Brazilian, after the victim's family complained that "false public statements'' were made by police officials about the killing.
The probe will be led by Mike Grant, a senior investigator at the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the IPCC said today in an e-mailed statement. The investigation is separate from another into the circumstances surrounding the shooting of the 27 year-old Brazilian electrician. A police spokeswoman declined in a phone interview to comment on the latest probe.
"Neither we nor Jean Charles' family want this complaint to distract us from the main task of finding out how and why Jean Charles died,'' IPCC Chair Nick Hardwick said in the statement. "We still expect our investigation into the shooting to be completed by the end of December.''
De Menezes was killed on July 22 after armed police mistook him for a suicide bomber. The shooting came a day after four bombers failed in an attempt to detonate explosives on London's transport system, and 15 days after the July 7 suicide bombings in which four bombers killed themselves and 52 other people on three London Underground subway trains and a bus.
Blair said in the wake of the shooting that de Menezes hadn't obeyed police instructions and that the killing was "directly linked'' to the anti-terrorism operation. The following day, police admitted De Menezes wasn't connected with either set of bombings.
'False Statements'
The complaint from De Menezes's family "alleges that individuals within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) made false public statements following the fatal shooting of Jean Charles at Stockwell Underground station on 22 July 2005,'' the IPCC said. "The family's letter of complaint refers to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.''
The Brazilian family also complained that the police subsequently didn't correct inaccurate information that was in the public domain, the IPCC said without elaborating. Blair in July and August was criticized by family members for failing to dispel reports that de Menezes ran into the subway and vaulted a barrier, and that he was wearing a bulky jacket.
"The IPCC has explained to the family that the IPCC itself had urged those involved not to comment on the facts of the case and so this will not form part of our investigation,'' the commission said. Link
posted by exoplanet at 5:20 PM
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