Sir Ian Blair must go - now!

9.43.52am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 12th Jun 2006

Scotland Yard Metropolitian Police HQ in London

Jean Charles de Menezes, Forest Gate and attacking Muslim Police Officers - do I need to write anymore? Sir Ian Blair, head of the Metropolitan Police must be sacked and must be sacked now.

According to today's Guardian the official report into the police killing of Jean Charles de Menezes will criticise for his attempt to stop an independent inquiry, saying that it allowed officers to tamper with evidence. It will also say that the commissioner's actions in the aftermath of the shooting at Stockwell tube station led to public confidence in his force being damaged.

The report examines why de Menezes was shot dead on July 22 2005, by officers who believed he was a suicide bomber. Again according to the Guardian senior sources in different organisations, who have extensive knowledge of the report, say it finds that:

· Errors and mistakes at every level, from senior officers downwards, contributed to the wrong man being shot

· Command and control in the operation was flawed

· There was a lack of resources available for surveillance operations

· The shoot-to-kill policy under which the Brazilian was shot dead without any warning was not clear enough

· The decision to let the suspect travel on buses to the tube station was questionable if he was thought to be dangerous.

The IPCC criticism of the Commissioner stems from his decision on the day of the shooting to deny independent investigators access to the scene at Stockwell tube station as he lobbied the government to stop the IPCC investigating the case. By law, any fatal shooting must be investigated by the IPCC, and the report cites a Met witness as saying that Sir Ian not only ordered independent investigators be denied access, but claimed his stance was backed by the prime minister.

Some officers are alleged to have falsified information in a log book on the evening of July 22. They altered a surveillance log which detailed their movements. The report says they would have seized the logbooks had they not been blocked by Sir Ian. A senior source said the report did not suggest that the Met's leadership had tried to instigate a cover-up.

Of course the De Menezes killing is not Sir Ian's only problem at the moment. The raid in Forest Gate last week was a complete debacle and it certainly appears that the police shot another innocent Muslim - I am sure we will find out more about this later in the coming weeks and months. Also at the weekend it was reported there is a new report attacking Muslim Police Officers for being corruptible - hardly useful to build bridges with our Muslim community.

Sir Ian, if not directly responsible for all his forces actions, has to certainly take responsibility and after de Menezes should have worked to ensure nothing like Forest Gate could have taken place. Even when he goes, as it can only be a matter of time, a serious look in to the Metropolitan Police and see what can be done to improve its performance but also to improve relations with the Muslim, and other, Communities.