Brit executed by police

By RON FANFAIR

The president of Britain's Black Police Association believes that a young Brazilian man allegedly mistaken for a terrorist and shot to death by police in a London train station, was executed. And Ray Powell is calling for a public inquiry and the resignation of Police Chief Sir Ian Blair.

Jean Charles de Menezes was shot seven times in the head on July 22 by plainclothes police officers who had followed him into a subway station just a day after four bombs were discovered in London's transit system. The bombs, which failed to detonate, were found two weeks after four suicide bombers killed 52 people on the city's subway and on a bus.

A leaked report into the Brazilian's death has suggested that the initial police statements about what happened on the day Menezes was shot were inaccurate.

"What happened on that train can only be described as an execution," Powell told Share while in Toronto for the National Black Police Association's (NBPA) 33rd annual international convention recently. "The Black community and the whole country need to see some level of accountability.

"If that means the resignation of the police chief or his deputy, I really don't care. Somebody has to be held accountable for this horrible and disgusting mistake. I would not be surprised if someone goes to jail, and rightly so, for what happened on that train. The community is very concerned because the indiscriminate shooting sends a very strong message that your life is at risk if you are Asian or Black."

A London police officer for the past 21 years, Powell says he's aware of the challenges officers face in some situations.

"As a firearms officer myself, I know if there is a threat, you have a responsibility to react to that threat level," he pointed out. "You have to make an instant decision, and that's up to the individual officer. I understand that.

"My concern though is of those officers who are in plainclothes carrying firearms. That's not supposed to happen."

Most British police officers do not carry guns and police shootings are rare in England. Between 1997 and 2004, London police fired 20 times, killing seven persons. Only 3,000 of the British Police Service's 31,000 officers carry guns to deal with sieges, armed robberies, terrorist attacks and diplomatic duties.

The only force in Britain that routinely carries guns on the beat is the new Police Service of Northern Ireland which replaced the Royal Ulster Constabulary in November 2001.

Powell acknowledged that the recent terrorist attacks in London are a threat to British society and said local Black police associations in Britain are working with authorities and communities to develop reassurance strategies.

"The membership of the NBPA represents the diverse make-up of the very communities that are vulnerable to the misconceptions and misperceptions perpetuated by the recent terrorist attacks, and we will therefore re-double our efforts to focus upon the positive contributions of our communities and endeavour to offer our support to any actions that will address both the effects and causation of terrorism," he explained.

"The NBPA will reassure our communities by explicitly stating that these developments do not represent the thinking of any single faith group."

Powell, who led a 30-member Black British law enforcement contingent to the NBPA convention at the Delta Toronto East Hotel in Scarborough, said his association is excited about hosting the NBPA international convention for the first time next year.

The event takes place in Manchester in August 2006.

"This will be the largest NBPA convention ever, because we expect officers from Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Canada and the USA to attend," said Powell, who has been with the South Yorkshire police service for the past two decades.

Powell, along with his association's vice-president Clive Morris and general secretary Anna Scott, are full-time NBPA U.K. employees.

"There are close to 46 affiliated Black police associations in Britain with a membership of about 6,000," he said. "We work closely with all levels of government and are very involved in the shaping of policies that affect our constituents. We make our voices heard."

He said he's confident that most of the recommendations in the recently released Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) report to improve diversity within the police force in Britain will be implemented despite the fact that there have been other previous reports and recommendations on how to make the police service more inclusive.

The CRE has powers to investigate organizations and companies where there is evidence of possible discrimination and take legal action against them in certain specific circumstances.

"There is an obligation for these recommendations to be implemented," said Powell. "If they are not, then there is legislation whereby a non-compliance order can be laid against police services that fail to comply without having a good reason."