Atmosphere of tension and fear
In hindsight it is very easy to pass judgement on those officers involved in the de Menezes incident and criticise the way they dealt with the situations they faced. But, more than two years on, it is also easy to forget, or gloss over, the extraordinary climate in which the police were operating in London on July 22, 2005. London was under attack. There was an atmosphere of tension and fear caused by a bombing campaign that had killed and maimed and further attacks were a very real threat. It was an environment that was totally alien and terrifying for the police, as well as the public. The suicide bombings of July 7 changed the landscape for the capital’s police. The new menace made their job of protecting the public almost impossible. Defending people against terrorists who are willing and able to plant bombs is one thing, tackling a breed of enemy who is willing to die in the process is a whole new ball game.
At Stockwell underground station on July 22, the police were just trying to do their job; they were trying to protect the capital’s population from further terror attacks. They didn’t set out to take an innocent man’s life. It was a mistake, one they have acknowledged, but one that was brought about by the tense new environment they found themselves in. They did the best they could, but policing is not an exact science. Looking back it’s clear they made some bad decisions, but at the time the choices (which had to be made) were not so black and white. Policing under such intense pressure is about taking calculated risks and, as with any risks, sometimes they don’t work out. When the stakes are so high, the potential losses in case of failure are dramatic, but that doesn’t escape the fact that taking that risk was a necessary evil.