Met. Police face further probe over death of G20 Tomlinson

The Independent Police Complaints Commission will hold a further investigation into the Metroplitan Police's conduct following the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests in April this year, it has been announced. This will be separate from existing enquiries into his death and police conduct during the protest.

Mr. Tomlinson, 47, was returning home from his job as a newspaper vendor when he was hit with a baton and pushed from behind by officers, an incident that was captured on video and has been instrumental in probes into harsh police actions during the protests. There has been no evidence that he was in any way involved with the protests. He later died of internal injuries.

Ian Tomlinson, who was not involved with the G20 protests, was struck and
pushed to the ground by police officers. He later died of internal injuries.

CCTV footage showed that he had earlier approached a police cordon and appeared to ask to be allowed through so that he could continue making his way home, but permission was refused. A City worker also supplied photographs showing Mr. Tomlinson earlier in the day talking to officers after a police vehicle had come into contact with him - however, this has been referred to as a "gentle nudge" and is not thought to have contributed to his injuries.

During the inquest into his death, police made no mention of their earlier contact with the man leading many to accuse them of either deliberately misinformed the public or failed to make information available. IPCC deputy chairman Deborah Glass has said that both members of the public and MPs have raised serious concerns about the "state of knowledge" that police had concerning the incident.

If found guilty of either charge, the investigation will come as a serious blow to the Met's reputation which fallen steeply in public eyes since the events in question, with many people feeling angry over accusations that officers purposely obscured their badges - allowing them to commit unlawful acts without risking identification - and incited violent actions amongst members of the public, thus enabling them to react with greater force than would otherwise have been deemed acceptable, which is likely to bring about further enquiries and calls for a reform of police powers and regulations.