Statutory Inquiry: Anthony Grainger

Thursday 17th March 2016 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mrs Theresa May)]

I am announcing today the establishment by the Home Office of an inquiry, under the Inquiries Act 2005, to investigate the death of Anthony Grainger who was fatally shot by an armed officer of Greater Manchester police in March 2012.

The inquiry will be chaired by His Honour Judge Teague QC. In accordance with section 3(1) of the Act, I have decided that this inquiry be undertaken by Judge Teague alone as chairman.

Judge Teague is a circuit judge who was nominated by the Lord Chief Justice to lead the investigation and inquest into Mr Grainger’s death. It has been necessary to convert the inquest to a statutory inquiry so as to permit all relevant evidence to be heard by the judge. I have agreed with Judge Teague that the inquiry will have the same scope as the current inquest, which is being adjourned prior to the setting up of the inquiry.

The inquiry terms of reference are therefore:

To ascertain when, where, how and in what circumstances Mr Anthony Grainger came by his death during a Greater Manchester police operation, and then to make any such recommendations as may seem appropriate. In particular it will investigate:

The objectives and planning of the operation;

The information available to those who planned the operation, and the accuracy, reliability, interpretation, evaluation, transmission and dissemination of such information;

The decision to deploy armed police officers and to make arrests, and the criteria applied in reaching those decisions;

The command and control of the operation, its implementation, the actions of officers during the arrest phase, and the circumstances in which the officer who fired the fatal shot came to discharge his weapon;

The suitability or otherwise of the firearms, ammunition and other munitions deployed in the operation;

Any relevant firearms policies, protocols or manuals in force at the material time, together with any subsequent revisions or amendments;

Whether—and, if so, to what extent—the judgment, reactions or operational effectiveness of any of the planners, commanders or firearms officers were compromised by extended hours of duty or by limitations in their professional capabilities;

The extent to which Mr Grainger’s injuries would have incapacitated him while he remained conscious;

Whether, after Mr Grainger was shot, his life could have been saved.

The arrangements for the inquiry will now be a matter for Judge Teague. The Ministry of Justice and Home Office will provide support to him.

[HCWS629]