Met Police 'does not want O2 Brixton permanently closed'

Two people died in the crush at O2 Academy Brixton, while a 21-year-old woman remains in hospital

The Met Police said it did not want the O2 Academy Brixton to close permanently - it just wanted a different company to run it.

The south London music venue's licence was suspended last December after two people were killed when fans without tickets tried to force their way in.

At a hearing for it to be reinstated, owner Academy Music Group (AMG) said it had improved its safety measures.

But the Met said it did not have confidence in AMG.

Gerald Gouriet KC, representing the Met, said: "The police do not wish to close the Academy... they believe AMG Ltd shouldn't be the licensee."

He added: "I'm not permitted to go further into the reasons."

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The force asked Lambeth Council to remove the venue's licence after a crowd crush killed two people - security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33.

A third person, a 21-year-old woman, remains in hospital in a critical condition.

The comments were made during the second day of a hearing of the council's licensing sub-committee - much of which was held in private.

Closing the case for AMG, Philip Kolvin KC said the company had always had a "very close relationship with the police".

Lambeth Council's licensing committee is making a decision over the venue's future

On Monday, Mr Kolvin told the committee the venue had developed new safety measures in an effort to have its licence restored, including stronger doors, a better queuing system and more secure ticketing.

AMG, which runs 18 music venues across the UK - including three others in London - said changes to its operating policies had been developed by "leading professionals", to prevent a repeat of last year's events.

The company, which has operated the venue for 20 years, had done "all in its power to analyse what went wrong", Mr Kolvin added.

Earlier in Tuesday's hearing, representatives of the council's licensing authority said they believed the venue would be able to reopen, subject to conditions.

The committee will begin its deliberations on whether to grant a new licence for the venue on Wednesday.

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