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De Menezes cop up for top job
12/09/2006 22:40 - (SA)
London - A British police officer
involved in the fatal shooting of an innocent Brazilian man in
London last year has been selected for promotion to one of the
most senior policing jobs in the city.
Cressida Dick was in charge of the operation that led to
Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, being shot seven times in the head
on a London underground train after he was mistaken for a
suspected suicide bomber.
On Tuesday, the metropolitan police authority (MPA), which
oversees the London force, announced that Dick had been
provisionally selected to be made a deputy assistant
commissioner.
In July it was reported by the BBC that the police watchdog,
the independent police complaints commission (IPCC), had
recommended that Dick face criminal action for her handling of
the operation.
However, prosecutors decided no police officers involved in
the incident should face action. The crown prosecution service
instead ruled that the London force as a whole should be
prosecuted under health and safety laws.
The full IPCC report into the shooting will not be made
public until that legal action is completed, and Dick still
faces the possibility of disciplinary charges.
"Clearly there are some sensitive and unprecedented
circumstances involved," MPA chair Len Duvall said.
"The MPA would not prejudice an officer's fair promotion
prospects by making assumptions about future disciplinary
action."
He said no officer would be promoted until "outstanding
issues are resolved".
- Reuters
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