Met responds to publication of Grenfell Tower public inquiry report

The Grenfell Tower public inquiry, chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, has today published its final report, which examines the causes of the fire including how the building came to be in a condition which allowed the blaze to spread.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: “The publication of today’s inquiry report is a significant milestone for those deeply affected by the tragedy. The thoughts of the Met are especially with the bereaved, survivors and residents as well as the wider Grenfell community. We remember with much sadness all those who lost their lives.

“The report is direct, comprehensive and reaches clear conclusions.

“Our police investigation is independent of the public inquiry. It operates under a different legal framework and so we cannot simply use the report’s findings as evidence to bring charges.

“To secure justice for those who died and all those affected by the fire we must examine the report – line by line – alongside the evidence from the criminal investigation. As I said previously, this will take us at least 12-18 months.

“This will lead to the strongest possible evidence being presented to the Crown Prosecution Service so they can make charging decisions.

"I can’t pretend to imagine the impact of such a long police investigation on the bereaved and survivors, but we have one chance to get our investigation right.

“We will be thorough and diligent in our investigation while moving as swiftly as possible. We owe that to those who died and all those affected by the tragedy.”

Background:

For more information about the scale of the police investigation see here.