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The vocabulary used by officers commanding different sections of the anti-terror response had been standardised, so that everyone knew what the others were talking about, he said. Staff had been trained in the new tactics and vocabulary.

The Met says that its tactic does not amount to a "shoot to kill" policy, and that it is consistent with laws governing the use of "reasonable force". Sir Ian has previously described it as the "least worst option" for dealing with suicide bombers.

Today's report says: "It is essential that the Metropolitan Police have tactics available for the defence and protection of officers and the public in proximity to the threat.

"This is not a ‘shoot to kill’ policy. The tactics are wholly consistent with Section 3 Criminal Law Act, which says ‘A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of crime, or in the effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders or of persons unlawfully at large’.

"This is well articulated in the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms.

"It should be noted that there is no legal requirement for an officer to give a verbal challenge before firing and the Acpo Police Use of Firearms manual acknowledges that there are occasions when it is not appropriate or practical to do so."

The death of Mr de Menezes is the subject of an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Despite the tragedy, opinion polls have shown that most people are in favour of the use of deadly force against suicide bombers.

This week Mr House said the "shoot to the head" tactic could be used in other "extreme" scenarios where someone was on the brink of being murdered.

He said it could potentially be used in a kidnapping or stalking case where the victim had a gun pointed at their heads and the suspect was threatening to kill.

The July 7 bombings in London, which killed 52 innocent people, were the first ever suicide attacks on British soil.

Since the second wave of attempted bomb attacks which failed on July 21, the Yard estimates it has had more than 1,000 reports from the public of suspected suicide bombers. Armed response officers were sent out six times and the Kratos operations team alerted 11 times. All the incidents were resolved safely.

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