Top policeman faces Menezes quiz

13 April 2012

Britain's most senior police officer will face questioning this week over his conduct in the wake of the Stockwell shooting.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair will be interviewed by investigators from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) about his comments following the death of Jean Charles de Menezes.

The innocent Brazilian's family claim that Sir Ian misled them and the public in the wake of his fatal shooting by anti-terror officers.

The IPCC's inquiry into their complaints - codenamed Stockwell 2 - is due to be completed some time in the autumn and its findings are seen as critical for Sir Ian's future.

It is not yet known exactly where or when this week the Commissioner will be questioned, although it is thought likely the interview will take place at his offices in New Scotland Yard. He is likely to be interviewed under caution.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Commissioner is due to be interviewed by the IPCC later this week."

He refused to discuss further details, while the IPCC declined to comment.

Sir Ian has been under pressure following a string of controversies in the last 12 months and the outcome of the inquiry could prove to be make or break for his Commissionership of Britain's largest police force.

Mr de Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, was shot seven times in the head after being mistaken for a suicide bomber at Stockwell Tube station in south London on July 22 last year.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, reports circulated suggesting he had vaulted a ticket barrier and bolted down an escalator and that he had been wearing a bulky jacket. That afternoon, Sir Ian addressed the media and said the shooting was "directly linked" to anti-terror operations.

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