BRITAIN:There were renewed calls for the resignation of Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair yesterday after the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) criticised him for delaying its investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
IPCC chairman Nick Hardwick said Sir Ian was responsible for "much of the avoidable difficulty" faced by the Met following the fatal shooting of the innocent Brazilian mistaken for a suicide bomber at Stockwell underground station on July 22th, 2005.
"The commissioner attempted to prevent us carrying out an investigation," said Mr Hardwick. "In my view, much of the avoidable difficulty the Stockwell incident has caused the Metropolitan Police arose from the delay in referral."
The severity of that personal criticism prompted renewed resignation calls from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Mr de Menezes' family, whose solicitor confirmed they intended to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr de Menezes' cousin, Patricia da Silva, said: "Officers have to be held accountable individually. The police have to stop with this arrogant attitude they have been taking so far."
Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis welcomed the report's finding that front-line officers on the day were not to blame for events that took place in the "most severe" of circumstances. However, Mr Davis said Sir Ian's position had again been shown to be "untenable".
The report confirmed "clear, systemic failings" in the events leading to the shooting of Mr de Menezes, said Mr Davis. "Because of this, along with the need to restore public confidence and improve public safety, Sir Ian Blair's position remains untenable."
Yesterday's report found the police had made serious and avoidable errors, compounded by confused procedures and poor communications. It said police had failed to use a 13-minute window of opportunity to establish whether Mr de Menezes was a suicide bomber, and revealed that 17 witnesses said they had not heard officers shout a clear warning before opening fire.
The IPCC also called for a public debate on the so-called "shoot-to-kill" policy for dealing with suspected suicide bombers.