IPCC face conferring ban after fatal police shootings

Police officers could be banned from conferring after fatal shootings (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Police officers could be banned from conferring after fatal shootings in the wake of the death of Mark Duggan.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it is planning new guidance advising that officers should be separated before they give their statements.

Deputy Chair Rachel Cerfontyne apologised to Mr Duggan’s family over the handling of its investigation into his death in 2011, which led to riots across the country. Last week an inquest found Mr Duggan, 29, was lawfully killed by police in Tottenham, north London. He was shot. Ms Cerfontyne said her team is trying to speak to key witnesses, including officers, who refused to be interviewed or who have given conflicting accounts.

Forces will be obliged to “have regard” for the guidance once signed off by the Home Secretary.

Conferring among officers has been a controversial issue in a number of cases, including the death of the Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot at Stockwell undergound station in south London in 2005. In the wake of his death, the IPCC said the “accepted practice” of letting police discuss what had happened before making statements should be reviewed.

She said: “[The Mark Duggan] inquest and our review of the way we investigate deaths show the problems that can arise when officers confer when writing up their notes following fatal incidents.”