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Shoot-to-kill policy dropped after Menezes killing
12 Dec 2008Scotland Yard's controversial shoot-to-kill policy was quietly dumped during the inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes.
Senior officers said the term Operation Kratos, the umbrella name given to tactics drawn up to tackle suicide bombers, no longer exists.
Commander Jerry Savill, who heads the Met's firearms response, said it has been replaced by new guidelines even though it was not used on July 22 2005.
Mr Savill said: "I am aware that we must do everything to put ourselves in the position when we cannot take the life of an innocent man again and put a firearms team in that position again.
"I am certainly putting all my energy into that. I am doing everything I can to eliminate the threat of a repetition of the misery on Jean Charles de Menezes's family.
"From my perspective Kratos was an all-embracing operation in the wake of 9/11. We do not use it any more."
The demise of Kratos is just one of the far-reaching implications of the Stockwell shooting on policing the modern terrorist threat.
A list of improvements made to police facilities and procedures was passed privately to coroner Sir Michael Wright as the inquest drew to a close.
Police chiefs continue to negotiate with health and safety officials over the grey area where battling suicidal extremists and safeguarding the public and employees meet.
Since the prosecution of the Met at the Old Bailey was announced last year, they have insisted legislation is out of touch with the challenges they face.
A huge amount of money has been spent on better facilities, including adding ambient recording equipment to control rooms and phone lines.
Officers want to ensure there is no repeat of the confusion surrounding accounts of what happened in control room 1600 as surveillance officers circled Mr de Menezes.
But delicate negotiations with the security services took place to make sure changes would not jeopardise sensitive intelligence or informants.
One senior officer said the improvements would be worthless if people start slipping out of the room for whispered chats during fast-moving investigations.
He said: "We have got to be able to demonstrate to our staff that they can speak openly because we have got procedures in place to make sure that it does not pass into the public domain to endanger officers or anyone else."
Meanwhile, frontline marksmen continue to grapple with public criticism, a complicated legal framework and the impact of several independent inquiries.
Many remain extremely suspicious and defensive of the complex procedures that follow a fatal police shooting.
Some officers see the continuing row over conferring on notes in the aftermath of high-profile incidents as an example of how they are increasingly considered as potential suspects and not witnesses.
Reader views (1)
With Command comes Responsibility. A Commander can delegate Authority but not Responsibility. Those in Command that day have not lived up to the tenants of Leadership. The Command Team that day are the ones to be held to account for the actions of C12 and C2.
- Donnie, Canada, 16/12/2008 23:05
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