LESSONS have been learned after a public inquiry found Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was to blame for a fatal shooting of a dad-of-two, according to a Government report.

GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins apologised to the family of Anthony Grainger, from Bolton, last year after an inquiry found that his death, in a car park in Culcheth, Warrington, in March 2012, exposed "serious deficiencies" by senior officers.

Inquiry chairman Judge Thomas Teague QC said commanders had given inaccurate briefings which led to the distortion and exaggeration of the risk posed by the 36-year-old, who was sitting in a stolen Audi when he was fatally shot by a firearms officer, the Press Association has reported.

Six officers remain under investigation for misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

A Government response to the inquiry, published on Tuesday, said "good progress" had been made on nine recommendations set out by Judge Teague in his report.

The Government said it had worked closely with the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the College of Policing and GMP on the recommendations.

The response said: "These organisations have accepted the recommendations which were made and have assured the Government that, in the seven years since the operation in which Anthony Grainger was fatally shot, significant work has taken place to implement changes from lessons learned."

Mr Grainger's partner, Gail Hadfield-Grainger, said: "It has been almost a year since the inquiry's report, and over eight years since Anthony's death, so I am relieved to finally receive a response from the Government.

"The response is important but words will never be enough to save lives. I intend to meet with the Minister of Policing to ensure that concrete changes are made to armed policing in this country without further delay in order to protect the public."

Her solicitor, Tony Murphy of Bhatt Murphy, said: "The conduct of GMP as revealed by the inquiry is a stain on the integrity and safety of armed policing in this jurisdiction.

"The Government's response accepts the need for long overdue reform, the detail of which will require anxious scrutiny in order to uphold the right to life of every citizen."

In a statement included in the Government response, GMP said it had learned from Mr Grainger's death and the inquiry report.

It said: "GMP has invested in a significant, long-term reform programme to make armed operations safer in the Greater Manchester area, in the North West and nationally."

The recommendations set out by Judge Teague included changes to policies and procedures.

The Government response said body-worn video cameras are now a requirement for all armed response vehicle officers and specialist firearms officers when deployed overtly.

It said the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) is seeking independent expert advice on the introduction of a maximum period of time for authorised firearms officers to remain on continuous duty.

Mr Grainger was shot through the windscreen of a car by an officer, referred to in court as Q9, with a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun.

During 15 weeks of evidence in 2017, Q9 told Liverpool Crown Court from behind a screen that he believed Mr Grainger had reached down as if to grab a firearm.

But the inquiry heard that no firearms were found on Mr Grainger or in the stationary vehicle, which was in a public car park off Jackson Avenue in the early evening of March 3 2012.