JURIST - Paper Chase: UK police watchdog recommends policy review after 2005 subway shooting

[JURIST] The UK Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) [official website] Thursday published a report [PDF text; press release] on its investigation into the fatal shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes [advocacy website; BBC profile] in a London Tube station by officers of the Metropolitan Police Service who mistakenly believed he was a suspect in the 2005 London transit bombing attempts [JURIST report]. The IPCC report criticized Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair [official profile] for allegedly attempting to thwart its investigation. Blair nevertheless reaffirmed his commitment [statement] Thursday to remain on the job despite increased calls for his resignation from both Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. The IPCC also offered 16 recommendations [text] for changes to the police service, including reviewing existing policies and procedures pertaining to the use of firearms, surveillance operations, and post-incident management. Reuters has more.

Last Thursday, a London jury found [JURIST report] that the Metropolitan Police violated laws relating to health and public safety [Met press release] when it shot and killed [JURIST report] de Menezes in a London Tube station in 2005, believing him to be a suicide bomber. The prosecution argued that due to several mistakes made by London police during their botched anti-terrorism operation [BBC timeline], the public was "needlessly put at risk" [BBC report], with Menezes killed as a result. The Met Police was fined £175,000 with an additional £385,000 in fees. The jury said that operation commander Cressida Dick bore "no personal culpability," despite the prosecution's arguments that she was responsible for controlling her officers.

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