NEWS > 03 August 2007

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Guardian Unlimited - UK
03 August 2007

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'Police were a shambolic mess'

Relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes said they found it "unbelievable" that Sir Ian Blair did not know on the day their cousin was shot that he was an innocent man. Demanding action, they branded the Metropolitan police service "not fit for purpose".
The IPCC's report made Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman's position untenable and revealed that the force was a "shambolic mess", they said.

Solicitor Harriet Wistrich, who represents the family, told a press conference: "If he [Sir Ian] really, really didn't know until the next morning, it raises equally shocking questions about how somebody in charge of the Metropolitan police could have been kept out of the picture of what was one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of the Metropolitan police."

"There's two conclusions you draw from that: either that there has been a widescale conspiracy to cover up the fact that Blair did in fact know and that all sorts of officers have been giving misleading information to this investigation, or that there is just an absolutely shocking lack of command from the most senior officer in the police that so many people would fail to inform him of such an important fact."
Mr de Menezes' cousin, Alessandro Pereira, said: "We are disappointed with what the report says about Ian Blair. It is unbelievable that he did not know. He must have known. If he knew, he lied. If not, he was not in control of his officers."

He added: "This report shows that the police were a shambolic mess and that senior officers lied and should be held to account. We have had to wait for two years and it is so painful to hear that senior officers deliberately lied. This is a damning report and it must be acted upon."

Ms Wistrich said the family, who plan to seek damages in a civil claim, might make further claims based on the IPCC report, possibly on the basis of alleged misfeasance, or misconduct, in public office.

Another cousin, Patricia Armani da Silva, said she expected the Brazilian's parents would be disgusted and upset by the findings. "No one has been held responsible for anything, no one is going to be prosecuted and the police have been allowed to get away with murder," she said. "This is a huge injustice and very shameful ... I think they are treating the life that was taken away by their hands as if it was an animal's."

Civil rights campaigner Asad Rehman, who chaired the press conference, said: "We believe this report is a damning indictment of the Metropolitan police. It raises fundamental questions about the integrity and honesty of the service itself collectively and clearly of senior officers."

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Article sourced from

Guardian Unlimited - UK03 August 2007

'Police were a shambolic mess'

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Guardian Unlimited - UK
03 August 2007