Mark Duggan death: Armed police to wear video cameras

Firearms officers are to wear video cameras in an attempt to be "more open" following the death of Mark Duggan, the Met Police Commissioner has said.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe admitted the force must "do more to build trust" after an inquest jury found the 29-year-old was lawfully killed.

Mr Duggan was shot dead by police in August 2011 in Tottenham, north London.

Sir Bernard will meet community leaders in Haringey to discuss how "confidence" in the Met can be improved.

The family of Mr Duggan reacted with anger after the jury concluded by a majority of eight to two that he was lawfully killed by officers.

Mr Duggan, whose death sparked protests that descended into rioting and looting across London and spread to other parts of England, was shot when police stopped a taxi he was travelling in.

'Lost a friend'

Following the conclusion of the four-month inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, his aunt Carole Duggan said he had been "executed".

Sir Bernard said: "I want to express my sympathy to Mark Duggan's family. They've lost a son and brother and their friends have lost a friend.

"That's a terrible event for everybody and they've had to wait a long time for this verdict.

"I hope that everybody's able to accept the verdict of the jury. It's a jury of ordinary Londoners who have come to a verdict which we all have to accept.

"I do acknowledge that we need to do more to build trust with the people of London and there are things that we need to learn from this event.

"First of all, I want our officers to be able to be more open when it comes to the investigations that follow these events.

"In pursuance of that we're going to ask them to wear video cameras, so that we can record this type of incident, and I'm going to meet many people from across London, leaders from the Haringey community, to see what we need to do to work together to improve the confidence in the Met for those members of society who may feel that this has damaged their confidence in any way."

'Inquest inconsistences'

The jury of seven women and three men was asked to answer five questions over Mr Duggan's death.

The panel concluded he did not have a gun when he was shot by officers who surrounded a minicab he was travelling in.

But the jury said it was more likely than not that Mr Duggan had thrown a gun from the vehicle just before he was killed. The weapon was found about 20ft (6m) away from the scene.

Mr Duggan's family have said the 29-year-old was "executed"

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is currently conducting an investigation into his death.

Speaking to BBC Radio, the Duggan's family lawyer Marcia Willis Stewart said there were "inconsistencies" in the inquest's findings.

"The officer always said that Mark Duggan had a gun in his hand. He described it in detail," she said.

"What we have is a finding that is at odds [with the police officer's evidence]."

She added that a lack of video evidence meant the truth may never be known.

"The issue about the gun is a question because we have a situation where there was not video recording.

"The only video recording was that of the resuscitation, so we will never know," she said.

After the inquest findings, she said the family would seek a meeting with the IPCC, their MP David Lammy, and MP Keith Vaz, in order to ensure there is "a vigorous review" of events.

Deborah Coles, from the charity Inquest, said Mr Duggan's family were considering whether to apply for the decision to be judicially reviewed.