I cried at the state of the Met Police, Sir Mark Rowley reveals

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley revealed he was in tears over the state of his force.

Officers in Britain’s biggest police force are getting away with breaking the law and misconduct, a damning review has found, and hundreds should be sacked.

A report into the Metropolitan Police’s misconduct procedures also found that the internal disciplinary system is racist and misogynistic, making allegations of sexual misconduct or discrimination less likely to lead to criminal proceedings than other claims.

Writer Baroness Louise Casey said: “We have repeatedly heard from colleagues that they feel and believe and have actually given us examples of cases where people get away with both misconduct and crime.”

Asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari why his officers were “getting away with it”, Sir Mark Rowley said: “It’s appalling isn’t it, Nick.

“And kind of reading some of the stories and talking to some of the officers – it’s hard not to bring tears to your eyes, what they’ve faced and what they’ve dealt with badly. Frankly, we were too weak.”

Pressed on whether he was really crying, the country’s top officer admitted: “The combination of the last few weeks, seeing the advanced drafts of the report and talking to officials in the organization – I shed a tear.”

Sir Mark was also challenged that he could not promise that another Wayne Couzens was not lurking in the emergency.

He was the active duty police officer who killed Sarah Everard during the Covid quarantine.

The commissioner said: “I can’t look you in the eye and say we don’t have police officers who treat women appallingly. Absolutely not. The evidence says we do and I’m going to deal with that.”

The report found that only 13 of the 1,809 offenders were discharged

Repeat offenders have also remained on the job, with only 13 of the 1,809 officers and staff subject to more than one prosecution since 2013 dismissed.

The report found that 1,263 were involved in two or more cases, more than 500 were involved in three to five and 41 were involved in six or more – the highest number was 19.

New Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he was appalled by the findings and apologized to officers and members of the public who were disappointed.

He said the number of officers and staff being made redundant each year, between around 30 and 50, was “far short”, and estimated there were hundreds of officers in the Met who should be removed from the force.

“You have to come to the conclusion that there must be hundreds of people who shouldn’t be here who should be thrown out,” Sir Mark said.

“There must be hundreds who are behaving disgracefully, undermining our integrity and should be expelled.”

Dame Louise said her findings must be a “line in the sand” moment.

The Met is so vague about what constitutes serious misconduct that repeated instances of sexual abuse against colleagues would not result in an officer being fired, she found.

Dame Louise said: “There are times when I’ve looked at the cases of people I’ve listened to and I’ve wondered what exactly it would take to be gross misconduct to get them out of the police force.”

She was brought in to look into misconduct procedures and culture at the Metropolitan Police following the officer-involved killing of Sarah Everard and a series of scandals over disturbing messages shared by officers on WhatsApp.

Her interim report on the offenses was released on Monday.

In a letter to Sir Mark, she said: “The infringement system is not working as you, I, your officials or the public would expect.

“Cases take too long, charges are more likely to be dismissed than acted upon, the burden on those who raise concerns is too heavy, and the system is racially disparate, with white officers treated less harshly than black or Asian officers. “

In her letter, she outlined eight key questions:

– The Met takes too long to resolve infringement cases, an average of 400 days, but almost 20% take more than two years.

– Between 55% and 60% of misconduct allegations end with a finding that there is no case to answer, which is higher than the national average of 46%, and staff are warned against taking action on the misconduct.

– Fewer cases involving discrimination (20%) and sexual misconduct (29%) end in a decision on the answerable case compared to 33% of all cases. The report notes that this reinforces the sense that discriminatory behavior is not a breach of standards and a sense that “anything goes”.

– Officials and staff who have been repeatedly accused of misconduct are not properly disciplined. Between 2013 and 2022, 20% of repeat offenders were involved in two or more cases, but less than 1% were dismissed.

– Many cases of misconduct are handled by overburdened local units without proper training.

– It is not clear to the police what constitutes a serious violation, as the bar is set too high.

– There is racial discrimination in the treatment system, with black officers and staff 81% more likely to have cases brought against them in 2021/22, while Asian officers were 55% more likely.

– Rule, regulation 13, which allows probationers to be released from service, is not being applied properly or fairly. Only 8% of cases in 2021/2022 resulted in dismissal, with black officers 126% more likely to be the subject of a Regulation 13 case than whites, and Asian officers 123% more likely.

In a reply letter to Dame Louise, Sir Mark apologized for the force’s mistakes.

He said: “The evidence is clear: the disproportionate way you have shown us that black and Asian officers and staff have been treated shows patterns of unacceptable discrimination that clearly amount to systemic bias.

“The fact that allegations of racism or sexual misconduct and misogyny have less chance of being upheld is also completely unacceptable. Furthermore, it is clear that the Met’s systems and processes do not support the right outcomes.

“You reveal the painful experiences of those in our ranks who have been discriminated against and hated by their colleagues, only to have their pain compounded by the organisation’s weak response. This cannot continue.

“I feel sorry for those we have let down: both the public and our honest and dedicated officers. The public deserve a better Met, and so do our good people who strive every day to make a positive difference for Londoners.”

A full report on culture within the Met will be published in the new year.

Following the publication of the interim report, the Home Office announced a review of police dismissal systems, whether the force is using powers to dismiss officers on probation and whether there is a need to change the rules governing the disciplinary system.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “The public rightly expect the highest standards of behavior from the police and the vast majority meet that expectation. But recently too many high-profile incidents and reports, particularly in London, have damaged trust – which is unfair to the public and lets others down officers.

“This cannot continue. The culture and standards in policing must improve. And when an officer has seriously failed to meet those expectations, demonstrable public action must be taken.”

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, of the professional standards body College of Policing, said: “Baroness Casey’s review shines a shameful light on behavior which has undermined the foundations of our model of consensual policing.

“Naydeno has no place in society, let alone in the police, where we should be committed to helping the vulnerable.

“The report is difficult to read but it is vital that we listen to what Baroness Casey has found and I know that the Commissioner and the Met are committed to taking immediate action to resolve these issues.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the situation at the Met was worse than he had feared.

He said: “It is clear that the Met’s misconduct system is simply not fit for purpose.

“I now expect that every single recommendation of this review will be implemented fully and swiftly.

“All allegations of irregularities must be acted upon, cases must be resolved much faster and disproportionalities in the way allegations are handled must be eliminated.

“Most of those who serve in the Met will be appalled by these latest findings and decent officers who want to speak out – who have clearly been frustrated for far too long – should be properly supported.”