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Police interview three over Grenfell Tower fire
The Metropolitan Police has carried out three interviews under caution as part of its investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire.
This signals the beginning of a new phase in the investigation, which the police said would see further interviews taking place “in the coming weeks and months”.
The Met added that it is considering offences including gross negligence manslaughter, corporate manslaughter and breaches of the Health and Safety Act.
Gross negligence manslaughter is a form of involuntary manslaughter which does not require the defendant to have committed an unlawful act. The Sentencing Council is currently considering proposals to extend prison sentences for this offence to up to 18 years.
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The police interview someone under caution when they suspect a person has committed a criminal offence.
Asked if the three interviews meant that the Met had interviewed three different people, a police spokesperson said: “We will not be providing details of the interviews that have been carried out or a running tally of the numbers of interviews completed.
“Updates will be given at points when we are confident the families affected have been informed and we have a significant update. Nothing should be read into the numbers of interviews, nor the order in which they are conducted.”
As part of the update provided by the Metropolitan Police, it also gave details of its progress investigating the physical site of the fire.
According to the police, they are on schedule to hand over responsibility for Grenfell Tower in early August as the police work there nears completion.
This work has involved: searches, forensic examinations, digital scanning, photography, videography and the examination of specific aspects of the building construction and maintenance systems.
Commander Stuart Cundy said: “The handover of Grenfell Tower by the police will only occur once we are entirely confident that all police work has been completed at the tower and handing the tower over to the responsible body will have no bearing on the ongoing criminal investigation.
“The concerns of the bereaved, survivors and residents, as well as the wider community, will be central to how the handover takes place. We recognise this will be a significant milestone and one that is bound to stir a range of emotions for all those affected by this tragedy.”
Never Again campaign
In the days following the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, Inside Housing launched the Never Again campaign to call for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
One year on, we have extended the campaign asks in the light of information that has emerged since.
Here are our updated asks:
GOVERNMENT
- Act on the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations to tower blocks of 18m and higher. Commit to producing a timetable for implementation by autumn 2018, setting out how recommendations that don’t require legislative change can be taken forward without delay
- Follow through on commitments to fully ban combustible materials on high-rise buildings
- Unequivocally ban desktop studies
- Review recommendations and advice given to ministers after the Lakanal House fire and implement necessary changes
- Publish details of all tower blocks with dangerous cladding, insulation and/or external panels and commit to a timeline for remedial works. Provide necessary guidance to landlords to ensure that removal work can begin on all affected private and social residential blocks by the end of 2018. Complete quarterly follow-up checks to ensure that remedial work is completed to the required standard. Checks should not cease until all work is completed.
- Stand by the prime minister’s commitment to fully fund the removal of dangerous cladding
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
- Explore options for requiring remedial works on affected private sector residential tower blocks
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Take immediate action to identify privately owned residential tower blocks so that cladding and external panels can be checked
LANDLORDS
- Publish details of the combinations of insulations and cladding materials for all high rise blocks
- Commit to ensuring that removal work begins on all blocks with dangerous materials by the end of 2018 upon receipt of guidance from government
- Publish current fire risk assessments for all high rise blocks (the Information Commissioner has required councils to publish and recommended that housing associations should do the same). Work with peers to share learning from assessments and improve and clarify the risk assessment model.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out. Ensure assessments consider the external features of blocks. Always use an appropriate, qualified expert to conduct assessments.
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in the light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
- Adopt Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommended approach for listening to and addressing tenants’ concerns, with immediate effect
CURRENT SIGNATORIES:
- Chartered Institute of Housing
- G15
- National Federation of ALMOs
- National Housing Federation
- Placeshapers
