A London police official has announced that firearms officers are to wear video cameras in an attempt to be “more open” following the death of Mark Duggan in 2011.
Bernard Hogan-Howe admitted the force must “do more to build trust” after an inquest jury found Mark Duggan, 29, was lawfully killed.
Mark Duggan was shot dead by police in August 2011 in Tottenham, north London.
Bernard Hogan- Howe will meet community leaders in Haringey to discuss how “confidence” in the Met can be improved.
The family of Mark Duggan reacted with anger after the jury concluded by a majority of 8 to 2 that he was lawfully killed by officers.
Mark Duggan, whose death sparked protests that descended into rioting and looting across London and spread to other parts of England, was shot when police stopped a taxi he was travelling in.
Following the conclusion of the four-month inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, his aunt Carole Duggan said he had been “executed”.
Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “I want to express my sympathy to Mark Duggan’s family. They’ve lost a son and brother and their friends have lost a friend.
“That’s a terrible event for everybody and they’ve had to wait a long time for this verdict.
“I hope that everybody’s able to accept the verdict of the jury. It’s a jury of ordinary Londoners who have come to a verdict which we all have to accept.
“I do acknowledge that we need to do more to build trust with the people of London and there are things that we need to learn from this event.
“First of all, I want our officers to be able to be more open when it comes to the investigations that follow these events.
“In pursuance of that we’re going to ask them to wear video cameras, so that we can record this type of incident, and I’m going to meet many people from across London, leaders from the Haringey community, to see what we need to do to work together to improve the confidence in the Met for those members of society who may feel that this has damaged their confidence in any way.”
The jury of seven women and three men was asked to answer five questions over Mark Duggan’s death.
The panel concluded Mark Duggan did not have a gun when he was shot by officers who surrounded a minicab he was travelling in.
But the jury said it was more likely than not that Mark Duggan had thrown a gun from the vehicle just before he was killed. The weapon was found about 20ft away from the scene.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is currently conducting an investigation into Mark Duggan’s death.
Deborah Coles, from the charity Inquest, said Mark Duggan’s family were considering whether to apply for the decision to be judicially reviewed.
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