THE widow of policeman Keith Blakelock, who was hacked to death during the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985, yesterday said she believed his killer will still be caught.

Elizabeth Johnson, who now lives on the outskirts of Sunderland, spoke after it emerged that the Metropolitan Police are reinvestigating the murder.

She said that she understood the new investigation centred around DNA profiling but did not know its exact details.

Sunderland-born PC Blakelock, a 40-year-old father-of-three sons, was set upon by a mob and hacked to death with a machete during the Broadwater Farm riots in Tottenham, north London.

Three men - Winston Silcott, Mark Braithwaite and Engin Raghip - were found guilty of his murder, but in 1991 their convictions were overturned on appeal because of unsafe police evidence.

However, police yesterday said that as a result of a three-year review of PC Blakelock's case, they had identified new lines of inquiry that were sufficient to form the basis of a new investigation.

PC Blakelock died after confronting a mob as rioters rampaged through the estate.

He suffered 42 separate wounds.

He left three sons, Mark, Kevin and Lee.

Mrs Johnson, 52, who remarried after leaving London for her native North-East following the tragedy, now lives in Boldon Colliery.

Speaking at her home, she said: ''I have every faith in the inquiry team that is working on this. They are totally dedicated people.

''I understand it's the DNA technology that could make all the difference.

''Everyone is aware of this new technology that was not there 18 years ago, so presumably they are taking advantage of that, but I really don't know what evidence they have got.

''I'm in touch with the Metropolitan Police but there's a lot of stuff that I don't know, and don't want to know, as I would not want to jeopardise the inquiry in any way.

''It does not matter to me how long it takes as long as the guilty people are brought to justice and I'm confident that will happen.

''People who murder people cannot be allowed to roam the streets and think they have got away with it.

''When the guilty person, or people, are in prison or punished for what they did to Keith then that's the time I will be able to relax a bit.''