London’s Metropolitan Police say they have widened the Grenfell probe to include 336 firms thought to be involved in the construction, refurbishment or management of the tower
Manslaughter is among the offences that may be discovered, the force said.
Considered the force’s largest probe outside of counter-terrorism, the investigation is now focussed on the fabric of the building, which was refurbished and fitted with new cladding before it set on fire in June this year.
With 200 of its officers working full time on the fire’s causes and the response of emergency services, the Met revealed the number of involved companies it wants to question had grown from 60 to 336.
More than 31 million documents have been recovered – a number likely to increase – and specialist software will be used to search for evidence.
Corporate and individual manslaughter, breaches of fire, health and safety regulations, fraud and misconduct are among the offences that may be discovered, the Met said.
Detective Chief Superintendent Fiona McCormack called the Grenfell probe a “massive investigation”.
“Outside of counter-terrorism investigations, this is the biggest investigation the [Met] is undertaking and the scale is huge,” McCormack said.
A total of 60 people who died in the fire have now been formally identified, with the number of people who are believed to have died estimated at around 80.
The forensic examination of Grenfell tower is ongoing and will continue into the New Year.
This includes photographing and documenting every room on every floor, paying close attention to fire safety provisions such as fire doors, the standards of construction work, the routing of pipework and smoke extraction systems.
