Duggan’s family: The Police Watchdog untrustworthy

The family and friends of the black man killed by the British police shooting last week say they do not trust the police watchdog to investigate his death.

The family of Mark Duggan, whose death triggered the unrest that rocked Britain over the past days, said they doubt the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) can probe his fatal shooting away from outside pressure.

The police in north London Tottenham area shot dead the 29-year-old on Thursday August 4 in a pre-planned operation when officers stopped the minicab carrying him.

Media reports said immediately after his death that the incident had been an exchange of fire and that Duggan had first fired at officers but the IPCC admitted on Friday their statement may have “misled” media into such a perception stressing Duggan had not fired at all.

“We put our faith in the IPCC but they have let us down. How can we now trust that they are independent of the police as they say they are?” said Duggan’s fiancée Symone Wilson at an event to celebrate his life at Broadwater Farm Community Centre.

“We want to know the truth about how Mark died and will not rest until that information is given to us,” she added.

Meanwhile, Wilson’s sister, Michelle, said the IPCC were playing with the dead man’s family.

“The IPCC person told us one thing behind closed doors, once she eventually spoke with us days after the shooting, and then said something completely different in public. We have been treated appallingly by the IPCC,” she said.

Duggna’s family said they want an independent inquiry into the links between the police watchdog and the Scotland Yard.

This comes as a family friend said that people believe the IPCC has scheduled its investigations into the incident for December so that media and the public lose track of the events saying Duggans want an independent inquest as they do not trust the official one.

Duggan’s family also rejected accusations hurled at the dead man saying the authorities are keeping the public in the dark allowing the media to tar his face.

“He was not a gang member and he had no criminal record. He was from a tightly knit group of friends who did separate things during the week and met up like childhood friends do, and yet some people are trying to describe that as a gang,” said the friend.