he "resigned" because he did not have the "confidence of the Mayor of London".

boris will only appoint someone who is more politically aligned and dependent on him. and every succeeding metropolitan police commissioner will then know their jobs are at risk every time someone new gets into office.

yeah so whoop-de-fucking-doo. sir ian blair quits. it's not like he's not going to be replaced...and if you've seen the possible runners and riders to take over, you'll pine for him.

perhaps but doubtful well get a top cop who bans guns .and stops trigger happy cops murdering people in cold blood like menzies .held down and shot .perhaps the next top cop will not be a muppet ..still is there such a thing as a honest good cop .to find one the reward is high.theyd all do each other down to get to the top pete

Tony gone, now Ian, just Lionel left now

July 2005
The Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes is shot dead by police who mistakenly believed he was a suicide bomber. Blair is heavily criticised for his handling of the incident.

November 2005
Blair is attacked for lobbying MPs to support government proposals to hold terrorist suspects for 90 days, amid accusations he has politicised the service.

January 2006
Attracts more controversy when he describes the media as institutionally racist for its coverage of crimes against white people. He is forced to apologise to the parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman after using the Soham murders in 2002 as an example.

March 2006
Faces further pressure to resign after it is revealed that in autumn 2005, he secretly taped several phone conversations, most notably with the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith.

May 2006
More controversy for Blair after an operation to confiscate placards displayed by the anti-war protester Brian Haw. The commissioner initially says the operation cost £7,200, but it emerges later that it cost £27,000.

June 2006
The police commissioner reaches a new low after an innocent man is shot during an anti-terror raid in Forest Gate. Tony Blair has to step in to confirm his support for the commissioner.

March 2007
The Guardian publishes a story detailing inconsistencies between an account given by Blair of his involvement in the Balcombe Street IRA Siege in December 1975.

June 2008
The country's most senior Asian police officer, Tarique Ghaffur, claims he has been sidelined and ignored over his opinions and victimised by Blair, who he accuses of racial discrimination. Seperately, Commander Shabir Hussain alleges that he has been repeatedly rejected for promotion and suggests that Blair uses his influence to favour a "golden circle" of white officers and to turn down applications made by black and Asian candidates.

July 2008
Blair faces an inquiry over a series of IT contracts with the police worth £3m won by Impact Plus – a consultancy owned by Andy Miller, a long-time friend of the commissioner.
[this company was taken over by Hitachi Consulting]

August 2008
There are reports that Blair faces another inquiry relating to an alleged cover-up of the corruption in the murder of Special Constable Nisha Patel-Nasri in 2003. Blair was then in charge of the Met's anti-corruption unit.

September 2008
Inquiry into the death of De Menezes begins, putting Blair in the spotlight once again.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/oct/02/police.menezes1

"Modern policing is a lot like standing on the banks of a fast flowing river watching the bodies float past. As a policeman you can either spend all day fishing the bodies out of the river or you can walk upstream to see who is dumping them into the river. If you do that you may have to walk very far upstream."

I'm sure the vacancy won't remain empty for long.

No, no I'm taking over.

That should please all you anarchist chappies, what?

A career that has seen incompentence, corruption and a rise in violent crime means this stupid tosser leaves with a gold plated pension and a TAX FREE lump sum of £600,000.

One law for the rich....................

So "Peter Ambler" wants a London where guns are banned, well the last time I looked they are which is why the majority of police do not carry them. Perhaps you meant the armed response unit who killed Jean Charles well then perhaps you could let me know what you propose we arm the police with when they are confronting suicide bombers or armed criminals? A whistle ? A DVD of 'Dixon of Dock Green' ?

Before we all forget let us remember that those individual officers because of mistakes up the chain ran towards Jean Charles believing he was a suicide bomber about to kill people. Would you run towards a suicide bomber, putting your life at risk for the general public ?

Sometimes I do wonder about the contributors that IMC attracts !

Keep all that disgusting stuff about the real world off this forum - this is Indymedia, where all cops are evil, there's no such thing as violent crime and revolution's just around the corner.
You neo-crypto-fascist-recidivist-nazi you!

Yeah you're so right. Our courageous boys in ..er.. black visors and stab-proof vests, armed only with batons and guns are there TO PROTECT US. Sure. You clearly know nothing at all about the origins and development of the police force over the last 80 years. It's a long history of protecting property, politicians and corporations. Anyone who's ever been on the end of a police baton knows why that cop's in the force. It's about power and control.
You mention Jean Charles de Menezes' death and yet still bleat on about having armed police. You disgust me.

He should have gone long ago.

The only surprise is that it took so long.

there are too many guns on the street on both sides ,as for demenzies .if he were a suicide bomber on a mission.would he be running with explosives strapped around him.hed want to get to his mission not risk it going off jumping over barriers ./and he was pinned down on the floor .when the copper walked up and pulled the trigger unesacery .that is murder.not an accident ./when you have had experience of police with guns /come and tell me your side .ive had that experience .and i was given orders what to do by an inspector ., when i tried to carry the instructions out .another copper came from behind .and tried to change the plan knowing id get shot as they were programmed .i was lucky .i got the press ther and tv .at my request .watching with cameras .and i strapped my mobile to my shoulder so the press could here every word .i was innocent a 12 hour seige .factories shut down a cost of over £100,000 for nothing .no charges .it was the verry first gun seige in derby .wiyh the tactical fire arms unit ..the things said to me during that 12 hours were frightening .that is why i called tv and press /a normal person it would affect /but i took the piss as death does not worry me /i am anti guns and every day i offend hunters ect as im a 4x4 tyre dealer .i have proballythe cheapest and largest stock of off road tyres /but try not to sell to hunters .i cant see how town people get gun liecences the majority .who go hunting in derby /and have licences live in areas where crime is high ./they have relatives who are villains .even deal drugs /.im amazed how they get a licience for a gun .then they wonder why there is gun crime .as for terrorists /no wars no terror .its not religoen now its oil and wealth .our armies dont prottect the needed .or theyd be after magarbie /.oh there are no spoils there .peter ambler

Back in July 2005 I remember writing this article " Blair resign " by .:. | 25.07.2005 21:41 | Culture | World  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/07/319551.html & I really thought his resignation then would have just gone down well in far off places where it would be taken for granted Blair the cop was a brother or cousin of Blair the Blair. Then I began to think afterwards that maybe that's why he had stayed and would stay still some Cameron the cop could take his place. But the way the knife was put through his teflon hoodie really surprised me. It's been a long slow twist of the blade since Boris routemaster Johnson started leaking his hatred of Blair to the Daily Telegraph in February.

So now he's gone when the inquest for Jean occurs yet nobody is still touching the question of extra-judicial killing. Jean was innocent & thus called the "wrong man who got shot" but if even if the "right man" had been in Stockwell, why should that have made it ok to shoot him? It took so long for Boris to curl that knife up under the rib cage that I wonder has he avoided internal organ damage and even now as he cleans the blade is the body politic of upper plod management "healing nicely"?