Menezes 'could happen again'

The senior police officer in charge when Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead has said the same thing could happen to another innocent member of the public.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick told the inquest into the 27-year-old's death that the police cannot minimise all risk to the public when going about their job.

She told Michael Mansfield QC, counsel for the de Menezes family: "I'm afraid, sir, I do believe that this or something like this could happen again.

"Our job is to minimise the risks. Given the huge scale of the risks, we may only be able to do that to a less than perfect extent."

She also admitted she was not surprised to learn that two specialist police marksmen had fired nine or ten shots at Mr de Menezes's head.

Mr Mansfield asked her how she reacted when the firearms team commander told her this and she answered: "I don't think I had any reaction, sir. He was giving me information. I was not surprised."

Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head at Stockwell Tube station in south London on July 22, 2005 after being mistaken for failed suicide bomber Hussain Osman.

Ms Dick was in charge of the Scotland Yard control room overseeing the pursuit of the Brazilian electrician by surveillance and firearms officers who feared he was the terrorist.

Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot seven times in the head at Stockwell Tube station in south London on July 22, 2005 after being mistaken for failed suicide bomber Hussain Osman.

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