26 April 2012

IPCC Calls For New Power To Investigate Police

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is calling for new powers to make officers attend interviews if they witness a fatal shooting by colleagues.

The demand comes as the IPCC revealed that it had not been able to interview any of the 31 officers present at the shooting of Mark Duggan last August.

Rioting in London and across England followed his death.

The IPCC says it wants the power to demand witness evidence from police officers, as currently the watchdog can only demand officers to give an interview if they are suspected of committing a crime.

If they are witnesses to a fatal shooting by police, officers only have to provide written statements to IPCC investigators - which the 31 officers who were present at Mark Duggan's shooting in Tottenham, north London, have done - but they cannot be forced to undergo questioning in person.

"The difficulty is that we rely on their [the police's] co-operation,” IPCC chairwoman Deborah Glass, told BBC Radio 4's The Report.

"The best way to get evidence immediately after an incident is to carry out an interview. If they are not willing to do that, and by and large their lawyers advise against it, we'll get the statements, but not the interview.

"It's not to jump in and criminalise officers who may not have done anything wrong, but if officers need to be held to account, we need to have a way of doing so."

The Home Office declined to comment while IPCC investigations were ongoing.

(H)