Metropolitan Police chief vows ‘ruthless’ rogue officer clear-out

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has vowed to be “ruthless” in getting rid of officers who are unfit to serve.

He made good on that commitment in the London Assembly on Thursday, with questions asked following a secret inquiry. BBC’s Panorama program Evidence of misogyny, racism and disproportionate use of force was found at Charing Cross police station.

The commissioner said the behavior of some officers was “despicable and shocking” and that the force was undergoing the “largest purge” of rogue officers in its history.

He also advocated cost-saving measures. All except the front counters of the 24-hour police station Close to all parts of London.

Sir Mark told the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee that the behavior revealed in secret recordings from Charing Cross station’s detention room was “despicable and shocking” but that progress had been made in the “biggest purge” of rogue officers in the Met’s history.

“We have made great progress thanks in large part to the willingness of our officers to come forward,” he said. “They report abuse at three times the rate.”

Sir Mark said the Met had made more than 1,500 officers and staff redundant since 2022 as part of a drive to raise standards.

“We are diving deeper with undercover tactics to identify and root out these people,” Sir Mark said.

Tactics employed include increased frequency of attacks on officers’ social media and more “intrusive” review procedures.

Sir Mark said of the impact of the exposed behavior: “What concerns me most is that when you see this programme, if you are a woman or a Muslim officer in the organisation, the impact it can have on you is profound.

“If you’re making a really difficult personal decision about whether or not to report a rape, and you’ve seen that show, that could influence your decision. I know them.”

Liberal Democrat councilor Gareth Roberts asked the commissioner whether he would echo London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan in describing the Met as an “institutionally racist”, “institutionally sexist” and “institutionally homophobic” organisation.

“It’s not the language I use,” he said. “We have long-term systemic issues that drive bias within the organization, impacting levels of racism, disproportionality and misogyny, and that’s what we’re tackling.”

Mr Roberts also questioned whether the BBC investigation would place sexual assault victims at the front desk of Charing Cross station; This counter is only one of two that will remain open 24/7 in the capital.

Sir Mark said one example of Londoners’ increasing “confidence” in the police was the increased reporting rate of victims of sexual offences.

“We’ve made good progress,” he added.

The number of front counters where the public can speak to officers will decrease from 37 to 27 and will be staffed between 10.00-22.00 on weekdays and 09.00-19.00 on weekends.

Lewisham and Charing Cross only – Where 10 police officers are currently under investigation by the police watchdog – It will remain open 24 hours.

The commissioner said the cost-cutting measure, which breaks previous promises made by both the mayor and the police themselves, was necessary to help plug a £260 million budget gap.

Police said around 5 per cent of crime was reported to front offices, which equates to around 50,000 of the one million crimes reported each year in London. He added that the changes would save police officers about 2,900 hours a month.

Some councilors criticized the crime reporting figure’s underestimation of the range of reasons people can access police counters and accused the police force and City Hall of failing to properly consult on the decision.

“The evidence is pretty clear compared to other things we’ve done, [front counters] “Sir Mark is not making the greatest contribution to keeping Londoners safe,” he said.

“If a load of extra money drops into our laps from the Chancellor, there are plenty of other things we can spend it on before we put it at the front desks, and those have a bigger impact on London.”

The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, a borough where no police station will have a front desk, said the decision was “incredible”.

“This decision will leave huge gaps in frontline policing,” Elizabeth Campbell said.