SCOTLAND Yard has refused to apologise to the Muslim families shot at and branded terrorists in the Forest Gate raid, despite calls from the police watchdog to do so.

The families were "victims of failed intelligence" and the official report criticised the Met for its handling of the operation.

Independent Police Complaints Commission commissioner Deborah Glass said that when innocent people were injured or "publicly branded as terrorists" the police should make "an equally high-profile public apology".

No apology

"I am not aware that they apologised to the families," Ms Glass said.

"I am not saying officers should be disciplined as a result of that but I think that is grounds for an apology."

Following the release of the official report into the botched raid, she said police had "no choice" but to act on the information they had, which turned out to be wrong.

The raid followed information that a highly dangerous explosive device that could be set off remotely was believed to be in one of the two houses, the IPCC revealed.

Fifteen officers stormed the house, while about 200 more evacuated nearby homes. During the operation Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, was shot in the shoulder, which an earlier investigation ruled was an accident.

The Met said in a statement that it had "apologised on a number of occasions to the local community for the inconvenience and disruption caused" and "expressed regret about injuries incurred".

Whitewash

The statement said police were "happy" to repeat these apologies, but no made specific apology to the two innocent families.

Mr Kahar said his family was devastated at the outcome and branded the report a whitewash.

"I would have liked to see some sort of people getting prosecuted because at the end of the day ... a lot of people understand we were an innocent family, me and my next door neighbor were innocent," he told Sky News.

DAC Alf Hitchcock, of the Met's Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate, said: "Today's independent report is clear that faced with the intelligence we had, the operation was necessary and proportionate and had at its heart a commitment to protect the public.

"The MPS learned a great deal from Forest Gate about community consultation and engagement and it is only with the help and support of all Londoners that we can continue to fight the very real and serious threat of global terrorism."

The IPCC revealed it had received 153 complaints from the 11 members of the two homes. These ranged from complaints about the operation itself, to allegations of assault and complaints about treatment in custody.

The watchdog upheld two complaints - that police did not provide sufficient painkillers or food to Mr Abdulkahar and Mr Koyair while they were in custody.

An officer received a written warning for the allegation of neglect.

"I know that some people will feel very strongly that individual officers should be disciplined," Ms Glass said.

Extreme lethal threat

"However, after much thought, I have concluded that the level of force has to be judged in the light of the officers' belief that they were facing an extreme lethal threat - not just to themselves but to the public and indeed to the occupants of the houses themselves."

The inquiry also recommened that police should have changed its response much quicker once in control of the situation.

The IPCC said police had failed to foresee what might happen if the intelligence was wrong.

"Although the police must prioritise public safety, they need to plan for the consequences that intelligence may be wrong," the report said.

"This includes making much better provision for innocent people who are likely to be caught up in an operation, and being aware of the impact on people's lives, and the communities to which they belong, of an operation of this nature.

"The people not arrested at the scene should not have been taken to a police station. This caused unnecessary anxiety and distress."

The report also recommended that the high security Paddington Green Police Station cell block was upgraded or relocated to improve it for long-term detention.