ACTION: Please contact the national press as the inquest approaches
The Justice4Jean campaign is urging supporters to write to the national press close to the start of the inquest, highlighting concerns about the lack of justice for Jean's family over the last three years.
Some useful facts
- We know that the IPCC “Stockwell 1” investigation raised grave concerns about the effectiveness of the police response on 22 July 2005, not only the risk of an entirely innocent member of the public being killed “but also whether the police response would stop a terrorist who was intent on causing harm.”
- We know that the Old Bailey jury at the trial into breaches of the Health and Safety Act found that Scotland Yard commanders had made a string of errors that culminated in an unwarranted risk to the public and ultimately to Jean’s death.
- We know that despite this catalogue of failures, neither the Independent Police Complaints Commission nor the Crown Prosecution Service has held any police officer to account through prosecution for involuntary manslaughter or other criminal charge or through any disciplinary action.
- We know that instead, the senior officer in charge of the operation, Cressida Dick, was promoted to Deputy Assistant Commissioner by the Metropolitan Police Authority and that Andy Hayman, who was accused by the IPCC of deliberately misleading the public over the shooting, was awarded a CBE in 2006. We know that although investigations were ongoing into Jean’s death, the officers who shot him were back on duty, because one shot and killed another member of the public during an alleged attempted robbery in Kent in November 2006.
- We know that Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, initially tried to prevent the Independent Police Complaints Commission from carrying out its statutory duty to investigate Jean’s death. We know that the IPCC failed to stop him from succeeding for three crucial days. We know that in the immediate aftermath of Jean’s death, Blair vigorously defended the actions of his officers and also warned, “somebody else could be shot. ... But everything is done to make it right.”
- We know that the IPCC called for a “wide and well-informed public debate” about the Metropolitan police’s shoot-to-kill policy – and that such a public debate has never taken place. The details of Operation Kratos, the codename for policies for dealing with suspected terrorists and suicide bombers, including the use of lethal force, remain secret "for operational reasons".
Editors receive a large number of letters every day, so yours needs to stand out. As a rule, a good letter is short and punchy, making just one point in as original a way as possible. Also, don't be afraid to be outspoken - you're putting across your opinion, not writing a balanced article.
Virtually all newspapers insist on that you include your full name and address, though they won't publish them, and all will accept letters by e-mail. However, always paste the text of your letter into the body of an e-mail: don't send it as an attachment. (Editors vary on their attitudes to attachments, but they all accept letters in the body of an e-mail.)
Sunday editions of many newspapers are largely independent from the normal daily editions, with different contact addresses, different editors and (substantially) a different readership.
E-mail Contacts
The Guardian
letters@guardian.co.uk
The Observer
letters@observer.co.uk
The Independent
letters@independent.co.uk
The Independent on Sunday
sundayletters@independent.co.uk
The Times
letters@the-times.co.uk
The Sunday Times
letters@sunday-times.co.uk
Daily Mirror
mailbox@mirror.co.uk
Sunday Mirror
letters@sundaymirror.co.uk
The Daily Telegraph
dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
Sunday Telegraph
stletters@telegraph.co.uk
The Daily Mail
letters@dailymail.co.uk
Mail on Sunday
letters@mailonsunday.co.uk
The Daily Express
expressletters@express.co.uk
The Daily Star
news@dailystar.co.uk
The Evening Standard
letters@standard.co.uk
The Sun
letters@the-sun.co.uk
News of the World
letters@notw.co.uk
The Financial Times
letters.editor@ft.com
The Scotsman
letters_TS@scotsman.com
lettersSOS@scotsman.com (on Sunday)
Sunday Herald
letters@sundayherald.com
The Belfast Telegraph
editor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Labels: Urgent Action
This entry was posted
on Monday, 1 September 2008 at 21:01.
