Met chief Hogan-Howe seeks to 'reassure' Lawrence family

The Metropolitan Police chief has tried to "reassure Londoners" over claims police tried to smear the family of Stephen Lawrence.

Speaking on radio station LBC, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said that he hoped Stephen's father Neville would accept the current inquiries into the case.

He said that setting up a new public inquiry could take "a long time" and would not necessary offer any satisfaction to those involved.

Undercover officer Peter Francis told the Guardian and Channel 4's Dispatches programme that after Stephen's killing he posed as an anti-racism campaigner in a hunt for "disinformation".