The Grenfell Tower public inquiry, chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, has published its final report.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the publication of the inquiry report is a significant milestone for those deeply affected by the tragedy.
He said he thoughts of the Met are especially with the bereaved, survivors and residents as well as the wider Grenfell community.
“The report is direct, comprehensive and reaches clear conclusions,” he said.
“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.”
National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Chair, Mark Hardingham, said it will reflect on the actions of the firefighters, emergency services workers and members of the local community who responded to the fire.
“They faced indescribably harrowing scenes, and we remember their selflessness and bravery,” he said.
“Fire and rescue services are better prepared to respond to fires in high-rise residential buildings since the Phase 1 report was published, but we must continue to reflect and learn from the systemic failures that led to the loss of 72 lives. It is the responsibility of NFCC as the professional voice of fire and rescue services and the sector to learn from the issues leading up to the incident, the actions on the night of the fire, what has happened since, and to continue to correct what went wrong.
“We will focus all our efforts on what we must do better or differently so that we never again see anything like the Grenfell Tower fire.
“We will carefully consider every recommendation in the report, giving them our full attention. We will continue to work with partners in government and across and beyond the fire service sector as we press for significant improvement and reform on behalf of our communities.”
