MP hits out at IPCC for leaving Mark Duggan’s family ‘floundering’

David Lammy says the family of the man whose death sparked rioting in Tottenham were not told what was happening The Independent Police complaints commission has been criticised by the MP David Lammy for leaving the family of Mark Duggan “floundering” and for failing to robustly communicate its independence after his death. Lammy, the MP for Tottenham, was speaking on the eve of the funeral of the 29-year-old, who was fatally shot by police on 4 August and whose death is the subject of an investigation by the police watchdog. Giving evidence on Thursday to MPs on the home affairs select committee, Lammy said confidence in the police from members of his community, who had seen their area devastated by looting and disorder, had taken a huge knock. “For any community to have suffered two riots in a generation – I can think of cities in America that have been here and it’s pretty bleak – 99% of people in Tottenham are horrified at the violence, horrified at knife crime and gang members, and (they are people) who need policing and there has been a real confidence kick.” He told MPs that the fatal shooting of Duggan was an event that could have led to disorder but that neither the police nor the IPCC, he suggested, appeared to have taken that into account in their handling of events. Addressing the actions of the IPCC in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, he criticised its failure to demonstrate its independence clearly. “This was a sort of perfect storm of a catalogue of errors, that could have avoided riots on the scale that we saw,” said Lammy. “A death of this kind we know from experience in London can trigger unrest. Now, in the old days, the police would immediately start investigating themselves and there would be a lot of suspicion about where that would end. “The good news is that now we have the IPCC and the IPCC stepped in very early. The bad news is the family was then left floundering. “I am not sure the communication of the IPCC worked. The need for an active, visible press conference where they say they will get to the bottom of this quickly – that did not happen.” He said securing community confidence was essential in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and that had not happened. Speaking to the Guardian after the committee, Lammy said: “The central challenge to the IPCC in relation to a community like Tottenham is to establish their independence and that is still a work in progress – they still have a job to do.” A spokesman for the IPCC said: “We have acknowledged to Mr Duggan’s family, in public and by way of the home affairs select committee, that there are lessons to be learned from the communications in the early hours after the death of Mark Duggan. We are engaging directly with community representatives to understand their concerns, and we are actively looking at what could have been done better, not just on the part of the IPCC but the system as a whole.” “The IPCC has to understand that communication to a community like mine, with 200 different languages, is really critical. They needed to be on Sky TV, they needed to be on News 24, they needed to be on pirate radio stations showing their face, and they weren’t.” The funeral, which is expected to be attended by up to 3,000 people, is taking place this morning. The cortege will pass slowly through the Broadwater Farm estate, where Duggan grew up, and come to a halt at the New Testament Church of God in Wood Green for a private service. Duggan’s family have requested privacy and have told the police that they want the funeral to be “local, peaceful and dignified”. Earlier this week they met the new police commander for the area, Mak Chishty, to discuss the funeral plans. While the number of police in London is still at a record high, with around 10,000 officers available on the streets, the presence at the funeral will be low-key and will involve local officers. Inquest, the organisation that helps families of those who are killed after contact with the police, said the family had requested that the media stay outside the church, where facilities have been set up. After the service, family members will travel to Wood Green cemetery, and then to a reception at the Broadwater Farm community centre. Speaking on behalf of the Duggan family, Inquest said: “The family will not be speaking to the media and ask that they are respectfully left in peace.” Mark Duggan UK riots Independent Police Complaints Commission David Lammy Crime London Police Metropolitan police Sandra Laville guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 8, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.