MET CHIEF APOLOGISES TO SOHAM FAMILIES
(27 January 2006)

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair's response to a question at yesterday's MPA meeting about police resource allocation to murders in London generated much media interest. Asked in a radio interview this morning whether the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman would have been treated differently by the media had the children been black, Sir Ian Blair said: "I unreservedly apologise to anyone connected to the Soham murders, especially to the parents of Holly and Jessica, for re-igniting this story. I did not intend to diminish the significance of this dreadful crime, which is how I described it yesterday."

Asked if he thought the media provide less support when the victim is Asian or black Sir Ian said: "There are very large number of murders inside the black community that get almost no coverage at all. This is a difficulty that the police service and the families have - we need the media. We really, really need the media. We work with them closely. Yet sometimes you have to say they cover one story one way and another story another way, and it's very difficult to explain - especially to a victim's family."

The points the Commissioner made to the meeting of the MPA centred on differing levels of coverage the media had given to the murder of solicitor Tom ap Rhys Pryce and other recent murders, such as Balbir Matharu, dragged to his death, and Leon Adams, who was shot in the head.

There are many different factors involved in why some murders receive significantly more media coverage than others and the Commissioner highlighted the appalling murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham.

Nothing was said by the Commissioner that indicated that the Soham murders were anything other than appalling. His point was that it is sometimes difficult to interpret why some murders receive such significant and sustained coverage over others.

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