BRITAIN:A four-hour delay in briefing firearms officers on the morning Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead was "totally unacceptable", a special branch officer in charge of surveillance told a court yesterday.
The man, who gave evidence from behind a screen at the Old Bailey in London, said he had first told the specialist units they were needed at 5am.
However, the court has heard that the firearms teams were still not in place outside the block of flats where Mr de Menezes lived in south London when he left for work 4½ hours later.
The prosecution says their absence meant the 27-year-old electrician was able to board a bus, putting himself and the public at risk, as the police operation to find the failed 21/7 suicide bombers unfolded.
The special branch officer, codenamed "Alan", said that he passed on instructions from Cmdr John McDowell to the on-call firearms team's tactical adviser at 5.05am. He said the message was for the unit to be deployed "as soon as practicable".
The judge, Mr Justice Henriques, asked the witness: "Would 9am be as soon as practicable?" "I would say not," Alan replied. "I would rather hope they would do it quicker than that."
Ronald Thwaites QC, defending, asked if a "deferred deployment" of the firearms team later in the morning would have been acceptable and whether there was a "relaxed regime" about their being sent to the flats.
"No, it was totally unacceptable," said Alan. "That was not my understanding. Cmdr McDowell wanted the resources deployed as soon as possible. That was clear. There was no relaxed regime. It was immediate really. There were two potential bombers on the loose and we wanted them contained as soon as possible."
The Metropolitan Police is on trial over alleged health and safety failures leading up to Mr de Menezes's death on July 22nd, 2005. The Brazilian was shot seven times in the head after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber following the failed attacks the previous day. The Met denies the charges.
The court has heard that surveillance officers followed Mr de Menezes from his flat in south London on to the Tube train at Stockwell station, believing he was one of the unsuccessful bombers of the previous day. Moments after he took his seat on the Tube, armed officers boarded the train and shot him.
Mr Thwaites asked if there was any explanation for the firearms officer who had spoken to Alan at 5.05am believing he had been told to brief at 9am. Alan replied: "I cannot think of another explanation other than he got it wrong. It is totally contrary to my recollection."