Both the Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) took the highly unusual step of sending strong statements denying the story to its full press distribution list.
The Standard reports that the investigation into Sir Ian Blair’s role following the shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes was due to report in February. But, it claims, the report has been delayed because of “political sensitivities” surrounding the upcoming elections – including fears the report may be damaging to Sir Ian Blair.
This drew an angry response from the Met, with the bald statement: “Today’s front page Evening Standard story headlined Tube Shooting Probe Shelved To Spare Blair is wrong.”
The Met took issue with all aspects of the report, saying: “The MPA’s Stockwell Scrutiny was set up to report on the Metropolitan Police’s response to the lessons learned and the progress being made on implementing the recommendations following the Independent Police Complaints Commission’s Stockwell reports.
“It had no remit to ‘investigate’ either the Commissioner’s nor any other individual officer’s role in the events surrounding the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, so to claim that publication has been postponed to benefit the Commissioner is not correct. The timing of the publication of the MPA’s report is entirely a matter for the authority and the MPS has never sought to influence that.”
The MPA response was even stronger saying: “It is a gross misinterpretation to allege that the MPA Stockwell scrutiny report has been delayed because it is critical of the Commissioner, or for political reasons.
“The scrutiny was set up to look at lessons learnt and new processes put in place to prevent such a tragedy happening again. It is not specifically about the Commissioner.”
The statement added that none of the scrutiny panel members have yet seen a draft report, and claimed the time table had slipped due to the huge volume of evidence presented.
