London police to maintain 'shoot-to-kill' policy

LONDON - London's police force has reviewed its controversial "shoot-to-kill" policy and left it largely unchanged despite the killing of a Brazilian mistaken for a would-be suicide bomber, Scotland Yard said on Saturday.

"We have reviewed it and we have made one or two small changes, but the operation remains essentially the same," a Metropolitan police spokeswoman told Reuters.

The spokeswoman declined to detail the changes, but London police chief Ian Blair said officers would continue to use deadly force to stop possible terror attacks.

"The methods that were used appeared to be the least worst option (for tackling suicide bombers) ... we still have the procedure in use," he told the Daily Mail.

A spokeswoman for the Association of Chief Police Officers, which issues the shoot-to-kill guidance, codenamed "Operation Kratos", said the overall policy was unaffected.

"They are going to make changes operationally, but they are not in a position to change the guidance. We are not changing it," she said.

Operation Kratos outlines what level of force officers can use to thwart what police call a "deadly and determined attack".

Public awareness of the policy only emerged after police shot Jean Charles de Menezes eight times at point blank range as he boarded an underground train on July 22, the day after four bombs failed to explode on the London's transport system.

De Menezes's family has called for Blair to resign.

Len Duval, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, which oversees policing in London, said there was a growing consensus for a public inquiry into the policy but it was a decision for the government.

"If greater oversight of operations provides public reassurance then that can only be a good thing," he told the Independent newspaper.

"But I urge caution ... The issue of suicide bombers is not going away and there needs to be an effective way of dealing with this threat."

At the time of the incident Blair said de Menezes was under surveillance as part of a manhunt to catch the four fleeing bombers and had not respond to police challenges. The next day Police admitted they had shot the wrong man and apologised.

- REUTERS