Met officers shoot man dead

A man was shot dead in the street by police in London today.

The man, believed to be in his early thirties, was the target of an armed police surveillance operation when the shooting happened.

He was walking in Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, when there was a confrontation between the suspect and armed officers.

Officers from Scotland Yard's SO19 firearms unit are believed to have been involved in the incident.

Police immediately called in investigators from the newly formed Independent Police Complaints Commission.

One report said the shooting happened as the victim was on his way to the local post office.

Armed officers were believed to have been involved in the operation because of intelligence that the man had been known to use guns in the past.

Meanwhile ministers today moved to tackle a surge in gun crime with proposals to stop criminals obtaining firearms. Possible measures include curbs on internet and mail-order gun dealers, and on replicas that can be converted to fire live ammunition.

The proposals, outlined by Home Office minister Caroline Flint, could amount to a rewrite of the 1968 Firearms Act.

Other ideas include tighter restrictions on legal gun ownership. Guns were used in 10,000 crimes last year.

At the same time, a report by the police inspectorate praises Operation Trident, the Metropolitan Police initiative to tackle firearms offences within the black community.