I told my men to stop de Menezes - not shoot him, says police chief

Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan deputy assistant commissioner, said at the Old Bailey that she told officers only to "stop" the Brazilian.

But she also claimed that Mr de Menezes looked extraordinarily like terrorist Hussain Osman and that his "behaviour" could have contributed to his death the day after the failed London bombings in July 2005.

Ronald Thwaites QC, defending the Met, said: "Did you anticipate it would be an armed challenge?"

Miss Dick replied: "Yes I absolutely anticipated that it would be an armed conventional challenge."

Mr Thwaites: "Did you give any command that he was to be shot?"

Miss Dick: "No I did not."

She also denied giving the codeword Kratos, which means shoot to kill.

The 47-year- old assistant commissioner is a defence witness at the trial of the Met, which is accused of a series of failures leading up to the death of Mr de Menezes at Stockwell Tube station.

She said: "The death of Mr de Menezes is a terrible tragedy. I think he was the victim of most extraordinary and terrible circumstances.

"We had had the events of July 7 and then July 21 and he had the misfortune to live in the same block as one of the bombers from the day before and he also looked extraordinarily like that person.

"And through his behaviour that day as I understand it, and his behaviour when challenged, he came to be shot"'

She defended her judgments on the day Mr de Menezes was killed.

"I would think by now it is absolutely clear to the court that police operating decisions, particularly in high-risk environments, are difficult and must inevitably not follow any manual.

"We learn as the world changes and our operations develop but allowing properlytrained-people to balance risks and make judgments seems to me absolutely fundamental."

Clare Montgomery QC, prosecuting, asked why an armed response unit, who were allegedly scrambled to the address in the early morning, were not at the scene.

Miss Dick said: "If that is what happened it seems like there has been some miscommunication. That can happen in the Met Police."

Asked if there were "flaws" in the operation which led to Mr de Menezes's death, Miss Dick said: "I don't think there were flaws.

"There are things we would do differently today, but I don't think there were flaws."

She admitted seeking independent legal advice and making a "memory tape" after the death of Mr de Menezes.

The Met is accused under health and safety laws of overseeing a "fundamentally flawed" operation which led to the Brazilian's death.

The case continues.