Met police failures are allowing hundreds of officers to get away with misconduct, says new report

The Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the findings showed hundreds of officers should have been sacked.

Metropolitan police officers accused of serious misconduct, including racism, misogyny and sexual assault, are being allowed to escape justice, a damning new report has revealed.

The review, which came about after questions were raised about the Met’s handling of misconduct allegations in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder by serving officer Wayne Couzens, revealed a number of alarming findings.

These include the fact that the force takes too long to resolve complaints, that officers and staff do not believe that action will be taken when allegations are put forward and that officers from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to have complaints against them upheld than their white counterparts. 

Alarmingly, the report also revealed that allegations relating to racism, sexual misconduct or “other discriminatory behaviour” are less likely to be deemed a “case to answer” than other issues and that the system allows repeat offenders to fly under the radar.

Indeed, in one case highlighted by the report, which was compiled by Baroness Louise Casey, an officer had 11 separate misconduct cases raised against him for issues involving abuse, sexual harassment and assault and fraud. While some of the cases against him were eventually dismissed, others weren’t – but no action was taken and he’s still serving in the Met.

Responding to the report in a letter to Baroness Casey, the Met’s commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he was “appalled” by the findings and accepted the conclusions in full. 

“Integrity is the foundation of policing. People rightly expect us to uphold the highest standards,” he said. “Yet our organisation is being undermined by corrupting behaviours that have gone unchallenged and have been allowed to multiply.

“While the focus of this report is on misconduct, it tells a serious story about our culture. We need to radically overhaul how our organisation is set up, and instil our values in everything we do.” 

Speaking in an interview with Sky News about the findings, Rowley added: “We’ve been slacking a bit, removing less than one a week – maybe 40 or 50 a year. Based on this report, which clearly says that we have been far too soft, there must be hundreds in the organisation I need to get rid of.

“Some of them are unethical and don’t deserve to be a cop and don’t deserve to wear the uniform. And some of what they’re doing is in many cases criminal.”

Baroness Casey’s final report is expected to be published in February 2023, when the full extent of her review of the Metropolitan police’s culture and standards of behaviour will be laid out. 

Images: Getty

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