BRITAIN’S top police officers are reviewing the controversial shoot to kill policy after its first use ended in the gunning down of an innocent man, the Guardian has learned. The review by the Association of Chief Police Officers comes amid a continuing dispute around the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, over his handling of the killing of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes. A senior police source and member of Acpo said: “The review is not theoretical, it is looking in great depth.” Among the issues to be considered are: - Whether any other non-lethal weapons exist or are in development that could rapidly incapacitate a suspected suicide bomber - How much intelligence is needed before officers are authorised to shoot to kill - How to assess intelligence rapidly when under massive pressure - How to ensure effective communications between commanders at base and those pursuing a suspect. The review will also look at the bomb attacks on London on July 7 and 21, seeking to draw lessons from them. The two attacks will also be examined to provide “real-time” scenarios to help develop the best way to implement the policy.

In addition it will focus on the lesser-known Operation Clydesdale, which covers tactics on a planned raid against a suicide bombing suspect and which also authorises officers to shoot to to kill. The policy which claimed Mr de Menezes’s life is known as Operation Kratos. Senior officers who support the policy have privately said there is anxiety about whether using the tactic again would result in another innocent being killed.

“There were big agonies before and Stockwell has just emphasised that,” the source said. Asked whether there was confidence in Kratos, he replied: “It’s very hard to view something like Kratos and use words like confidence.”

Mr de Menezes died on July 22 at Stockwell tube station after being mistaken for a suicide bomber. The case is under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. A string of blunders have emerged, including the white Brazilian man being misidentified as a black African terrorism suspect. Senior officers have met in the past month to learn early lessons from the Stockwell incident. Senior officers believe that the shoot-to-kill policy must be retained, but they have been discussing ways in which the risk of killing innocent people can be minimised.

Part of the review will look at intelligence. The police source said: “In any firearms incident the most crucial bit is the intelligence you receive. One question is how much intelligence do you need to shoot to kill. What systems are available to check out the intelligence quickly?”

An Acpo spokeswoman said: “We constantly review our guidance.” With questions continuing to be asked about the handling of the investigation into the shooting, the family of Mr de Menezes on Friday demanded Sir Ian’s resignation.

Alessandro Pereira, a cousin of Mr de Menezes, said: “He now says he didn’t know. If he didn’t know, why didn’t he know? Why did he tell the world my cousin was a terrorist? Why did he lie to us?” “I say that those responsible should resign. —Dawn/The Guardian News Service