An independent police advisory group has called for “urgent action” to rebuild trust after a jury ruled that Mark Duggan's shooting by police was lawful.
Cheryl Sealey, the chairman of the Trident Independent Advisory Group, has called for “affirmative change” after the 29-year-old’s family reacted with fury following the verdict.
The advisory group works with the Metropolitan Police’s Trident Gangs Command, a specialist unit which tackles gang and gun crime across the capital.
Mr Duggan, whom police claimed was involved in the Tottenham Man Dem gang, was killed by armed police who pulled over the minicab he was driving in as part of a gun crime operation.
Ms Sealey said: “The implications of the verdict are profound.
“The relationships between the Metropolitan Police Service, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and communities are currently very strained and need to be addressed with utter urgency.
“The Mayor [of London], Government and other statutory agencies need to take urgent action to restore confidence and trust between communities and themselves.”
The 29-year-old's shooting in Ferry Lane, Tottenham, sparked rioting in the town that led to nationwide looting in August, 2011.
Yesterday, the jury in the inquest into his death ruled he had been killed lawfully by an 8-2 majority, despite deciding he was unarmed when the officer fired the fatal shot.
Ms Sealey criticised the IPCC for misleading journalists immediately after the shooting by saying Mr Duggan had fired at police officers after he was stopped
She said: "The IPCC and the Metropolitan Police have both issued an apology to the Duggan family for the way in which they had dealt with them in the aftermath of the shooting."
The Met’s commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the shooting of Mr Duggan led to a "significant reduction in trust" between London's black communities and the police.
He is currently meeting community leaders in Haringey to discuss how "confidence" in the Met can be improved.
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