By Emily Caulkett-
The British Metropolitan Police has been placed into special measures, following a string of scandals. Scotland Yard was today made aware of the decision to brand it a failing force by the watchdog responsible for monitoring performance.
The news is an embarrassment for the Met, an organisation which saw its commissioner forced out in February after losing the confidence of the mayor of London.
The relegation of the force does not detract form the fact that all police forces in the Uk, including the Met, collectively provide an important service to the public in terms of protection and combatting crime in many instances. Their indispensable service to society runs the risk of easily being undervalued as a result of the rotten apples amongst them.
Incredibly nice and personable police officers exist in the force and would have been encountered by many ordinary members of the public in the course of their daily activities. Their dedication and genuine commitment to the force is invariably stained by the stream of corrupt officers in their midst who bring their profession to disrepute.
However, public trust in the country’s largest police force has fallen sharply, in the wake of several scandals, including the Sarah Everard murder by a serving officer.
In a letter to acting commissioner Stephen House today, the boss at HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Matt Parr, said there were “several examples of high profile incidents” which raise concerns about the Met’s performance and “are likely to have a chilling effect on public trust and confidence in the Met”.
Cases cited by Mr Parr included the murder of Sarah Everard, the findings of the independent inquiry into the murder of Daniel Morgan, the stop and search of Bianca Williams and Child Q, who was stripped searched by officers at her school.
It did not include the two Met police officers who dehumanised two black female murder victims “for their own amusement” by taking and sharing photos from the scene where they lay murdered, and both of whom have been jailed for two years and nine months.
Disgraced Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Jamie Lewis, 33, who were ordered to guard the scene in a London park where two sisters, Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were found stabbed to death in June 2020, played their part in bringing shame upon the force through their deplorable conduct.
The two misfit officers, took photos, some showing the bodies, and shared them in two WhatsApp groups, calling the victims “dead birds”. One – a group “called the A team” – contained 41 police officers and the other contained friends of Jaffer and was entitled “Covid cunts”.
And it emerged today that Met officers told a member of the Windrush generation that they wanted a coffee as black as her, when she worked as a kitchen in Paddington Green police station.
Cumulative Failures
The letter states the “cumulative effect” of all the Met’s failures outweighs any successes it may have had.
As a result, the Met is to be placed into special measures, and will be subject to external monitoring and reviews by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council.
Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a serving police officer
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services also reportedly cited the failure to catch serial killer Stephen Port quickly and controversy around stop and search in its decision.
The watchdog said: ‘We can confirm that we are now monitoring the Metropolitan Police Service through our Engage process, which provides additional scrutiny and support to help it make improvements.’
Police forces are moved onto enhanced ‘Engage’ support when they are ‘not responding to a cause of concern, or if it is not succeeding in managing, mitigating or eradicating the cause of concern’.
It emerged last week that the Independent Office for Police Conduct re-examine failures in the Stephen Port investigation after admitting its original probe was ‘materially flawed’.
It said ‘new information’ had come to light during inquests into the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor.
Coroners found that police failings ‘probably’ contributed to the deaths of the last three victims and family members have previously accused the force of not taking the investigation seriously enough because of its links to the gay nightlife scene.
None of the 17 officers involved in the original IOPC investigation carried out before the inquests faced disciplinary action, although 16 of them gave ‘no comment’ interviews.
The failings of the Met and the decision to put it under special measures is unsurprising, considering the finding by the Independent Police Regulating Conduct (IOPC) , that the Met police recruited over 100 officers with criminal records, and it was unknown how many officers have declarable associations, that is relationship with someone who has a criminal record or is involved in organised crime.
In January this year, a shocking revelation that by The Sun that the police in general hire robbers and thieves was incredibly shocking news to absorb for most who discovered this hard truth.
The resignation of Dame Cressida Dick announced after London mayor Sadiq Khan made it clear he did not have faith she had a strategy to turn the force around.
He said ‘deep cultural issues’ were not being tackled on her watch, including ‘overt racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, discrimination’.
Responding to the announcement, home secretary Priti Patel said: ‘I expect the police to get the basics right.
‘It is clear the Metropolitan Police Service is falling short of these expectations which is why I support the action that HMICFRS has taken today to highlight their failings – and I expect the Met and the London Mayor to take immediate action to begin addressing them.
‘The process to recruit a new commissioner is well under way and I have made clear that the successful candidate must demonstrate sustained improvements in the Metropolitan Police Service in order to regain public trust both in London and across the country.’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he welcomed the “additional scrutiny” on the Met.
“A series of appalling scandals have not only exposed deep cultural problems but have damaged the confidence of Londoners in the capital’s police service.
“The decision by the HMIC to now move the Met into special measures has laid bare the substantial performance failings by the force.
“As I have been saying for some time, Londoners deserve better. That’s why we now need to see nothing less than a new contract forged between the police and the public in London.
“This means root and branch reforms and systemic change to the Met’s performance and culture.
“This will be a crucial first step for the next Commissioner to start rebuilding trust and credibility with our communities. I will work with HMIC and will hold the Met to account in delivering the police reforms and step change in policing performance and culture that all our communities deserve.”