Promotion for senior officer in Tube killing

The police officer in charge of the operation that ended with the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Tube station is to be promoted.

In a move that has left the Menezes family "absolutely disgusted", Commander Cressida Dick is to become a deputy assistant commissioner, one of the most senior policing roles.

Mr Menezes, 27, was shot seven times by police officers on 22 July last year. He had been mistakenly identified as a suicide bomber.

A spokesman for his family said they were outraged by the decision. "The family are absolutely disgusted at what is just one more slap in the face," he said. "They cannot understand how this can possibly be happening."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report into the shooting, yet to be released, is expected to focus on confusion and misunderstandings in the information coming to Cdr Dick and flowing to the armed officers.

She wasinterviewed under caution by the IPCC as the designated officer in charge of the "tactical delivery" of the operation.

The IPCC report will not be made public until legal action against the Metropolitan Police under health and safety laws is completed. The next hearing will take place on 19 September.

The possibility of charges being brought against officers in connection with the shooting was ruled out by the Crown Prosecution Service earlier this year. But Cdr Dick may face disciplinary charges.

In an e-mail written after the shooting, Cdr Dick said: "I feel well prepared for what is coming, which will, I am sure, be a somewhat bumpy road. Rest assured I will stand up and be counted for my decisions."

The Menezes family spokesman said: "We have not even seen the beginning let alone the end of the legal process as to who is culpable and responsible for the death of an innocent man. How can the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) give the green light to promote Cressida Dick, someone who is centrally involved in the court case?"

Len Duvall, the MPA's chairman who led the interview panel for the promotion, said: "Clearly there are some sensitive circumstances involved. The MPA would not prejudice an officer's fair promotion prospects by making assumptions about future disciplinary action."