Anthony Grainger shooting: IOPC drops investigation into GMP officers
An investigation into the police command of an operation which led to an unarmed man being shot dead has been discontinued by the service watchdog.
Anthony Grainger, 36, was shot by a firearms officer in Cheshire in 2012.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched three investigations in March 2020 after a public inquiry in 2019 criticised the operation that led to his death.
It said one had ceased as “relevant” material “could not be disclosed”.
A spokesman added that another of the probes had found that an officer did not have a case to answer.
‘Only option’
Mr Grainger, from Bolton, was fatally wounded in Culcheth by a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) firearms officer during a planned police operation.
The public inquiry into the shooting criticised senior GMP officers and found a “catastrophic series of failings and errors”.
As a result, the IOPC launched an investigation into three officers who had since retired from the force – former Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, former Supt Mark Granby and an unnamed former chief inspector.
A spokesman said it had “become clear some of the material relevant to decisions made at the conclusion of any investigation – and to provide adequate disclosure to the officers – could not be disclosed”.
“In these circumstances, our only option is to discontinue this independent investigation,” he added.
He was unable to clarify the nature of the material that could not be disclosed.
‘No case to answer’
He said the second investigation, which looked at the conduct of a serving GMP officer and the management of two firearms officers’ training records, found evidence the officer failed to tell the force’s chief firearm instructor that the firearms officers had previously failed a counter terrorism specialist firearms officer training course.
However, he said the IOPC had “determined that this did not amount to a case to answer for breaching police professional standards”, adding that failing the course did not mean the officers, who did not shoot Mr Grainger, should not have been part of the armed operation.
A third investigation into the use of an unapproved CS dispersal canister during the operation continues.
The IOPC previously ruled that the officer who shot Mr Grainger would not face misconduct charges and a misconduct hearing against former Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood, who was accused of misleading the inquiry into Mr Grainger’s death, was dismissed in June 2020.
GMP said it had been informed of the IOPC’s latest decisions, adding: “Our thoughts remain with Mr Grainger’s family and loved ones.”
Source: (BBC)