Letter: Condon `myopic'

Sir: Since Sir Paul Condon has been Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police we have been involved in supporting and advising the families of black people who have died in police custody - Joy Gardner (1993), Shiji Lapite (1994), Brian Douglas (1995), Wayne Douglas, (1995) and Ibrahima Sey (1996).

They have been killed or seriously injured by punches, kicks, neck holds, hit over the head by batons, placed in body restraints, had tape put over their mouths, held face down on the floor so they could not breathe and left seriously injured in cells without medical attention.

In January 1999 Roger Sylvester, died after being restrained by eight Metropolitan police officers in Tottenham. Following his death Metropolitan Police spin doctors have put into the public domain partial and inaccurate information designed to deflect attention from their actions and turn Mr Sylvester into a racist stereotype and blame him for his own death.

We have no confidence that the Metropolitan Police have learnt any lessons from these appalling deaths.

If confidence is ever to be restored in the police the Government must also act to address the lack of accountability at all stages in the investigative and disciplinary processes following deaths in police custody that deny bereaved families justice, send a clear message that these deaths do not matter and that police crime will never be subject to the full force of the law.

DEBORAH COLES

HELEN SHAW

Co-Directors

Inquest, London N4