UK News
De Menezes inquiry: Tories, Lib Dems call for Sir Ian's resignation (Roundup)
By Rich Bowden, M&C Staff Writer Nov 2, 2007, 13:49 GMT
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair makes a statement after the Metropolitan Police were foung guilty of health and safety charges in it\'s shooting of Jean Charles Demezes in London, Britain, 1 November 2007. A jury on November 01 found London\'s police force guilty of health and safety breaches in an operation that led to the shooting death of a Brazilian man mistaken for a suicide bomber. EPA/ANDY RAIN
(M&C) - Metropolitan commissioner Sir Ian Blair is continuing to resist calls for his resignation following the guilty verdict in the Jean Charles de Menezes case as Opposition parties say his position is now "untenable".
The Met was found guilty of one charge of endangering the public's health and safety in the shooting of the innocent Brazilian in July 2005.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said to reporters, "The trial has shed light on the serial failures that led to the tragic death of Mr de Menezes," said Mr Davis.
"They include failures of organisation, command and operations. The failures were systemic, falling within the clear responsibility of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police."
Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: "This guilty verdict makes it unavoidable that Ian Blair should take responsibility on behalf of his whole organisation and resign."
"Whilst the ruling undoubtedly raises complex questions about future police operations, the simple priority today is to show that we have a police force in London which is prepared to accept full responsibility for its actions."
However Sir Ian continues to enjoy the full support of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. He had earlier expressed "deep regret" for he shooting but said the verdict did not show systemic failure in his force and refused to resign.
The force was fined £175,000 and ordered to pay £385,000 costs after being convicted of exposing the public to safety risk.
Update: London's mayor Ken Livingstone has described the guilty verdict as "disastrous" saying the ruling will make the capital more difficult to defend in times of terrorist attack.
Speaking to reporters Mr Livingston said, "As the law now stands based on this court case, an officer has got to have at the back of their mind ... the implications of this judgement in the sort of situation that might occur again," he said.
"I think this is disastrous. If an armed police officer believes they are in pursuit of a terrorist who might be a suicide bomber and they start making these sort of calculations based on this, how is this going to be seen? Am I going to be hauled off to court?" he asked.
"At the end of the day mistakes are always going to happen in wars or situations like this," Livingstone said.
"The best you can do is to try and make the potential and the risk the minimum possible. But there will be mistakes."
COMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
The Lib - Dem's are such a collection of pathetic naive scumbags that a decent democracy should declare them as a threat to every social civilised value and make their despicable party illegal.
They are a disgrace to the very concept of humanity, social discipline and common sense. I have just puked up.
Now go to the EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS in Strasbourg and charge them with Murder!.
Everybody is gutted by the loss of your son, of course we are. It is a terrible and tragic event.
But unfortunately if any one of us becomes an innocent party in a dangerous situation, then we stand a good chance of being hurt. It happens ALL the time throughout the world. That`s life I am afraid, read the papers.
The people in the Twin Towers were innocent, the people in the London bombings were innocent, the people in Baghdad are innocent, the people in Afghanistan are innocent, the people in Bali were innocent and in a million other cases - nobody rants and raves about THEIR human rights.
HUMAN RIGHTS does not mean a damn thing - nobody knows what it is ! Have I got the human right to kill my neighbour because I don`t like him ? Have murderers got human rights ? Has Osama bin Laden got human rights ? It is the most disgusting piece of obscure English ever to be invented.
If you are so passionate about this figment of the imagination, then I suggest you leave SOFT targets like the UK alone and go to ; -
CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, EVERY COUNTRY IN AFRICA,SOME OF SOUTH AMERICA, NORTH KOREA, VIET NAM, CAMBODIA, BURMA,
SRI LANKA AND JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE ELSE.
Then when you have finished getting absolutely nowhere with that lot, come back here and pester us, but it will not be for a very long time - don`t be cowards, GO to these places and warble your swan song about everything should be nice for people, I know what will happen and SO DO YOU !!!!
FOOTNOTE TO ABOVE COMMENT ; - Try this, it is a superb idea.
Go to Brasil - you must know where that is, you come from there.
Pop in to Rio De Janeiro and argue your puritanical concept of 'human rights' with the Chief of Police there. You`ve done it in soft old London, so go home and try your skills on him - should be great - you even speak the same language.
Ask him about the police Death Squads that go out into the city collecting up homeless children. When they have their quota, they give the kiddies a lovely free bus ride into the country side AND KILL THEM !!!
It is YOUR humanitarian Brasilian way of keeping the streets clean. They do the same with gang members. Of course, the country side does become rather littered up with dead bodies, but it gives a treat to the wild life.
SO DON`T COME OVER HERE SHOUTING ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS, clear off back home and make a start THERE, we can do without the likes of your kind in Britain.
You can't even SPELL 'Brazil'........lol.
'we can do without the likes of your kind in Britain'.
What have you got against Electricians?????
page: 1
NeilNov 2nd, 2007 - 14:28:47
Yet another public servant who does not have the support of the public he serves, clinging like a limpet to office. I expect he awaits his five-figure bonus payment.
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