By Sheila Mckenzie-
The Met Police is investigating 1,000 sexual and domestic abuse claims involving about 1,000 of its officers, the police commissioner has said.
Following the recent news of disgraced ex police officer PC David Carrick who pleaded guilty to 49 offences including many rape offences, Sir Mark Rowley announced all 45,000 Met officers and staff would be rechecked for previously missed offending.
The shocking news of serial rape offences by a serving police officer has rocked Britain, further damaging confidence in the police after the murder of Sarah Everard in 2022 by Wayne Cousins, whose rape and murder sparked outrage and protests over the rates of violence against women. It is not the first or second time a police officer has been convicted for rape, but never has an officer committed this number of serious offences.
The issue of proper vetting is more serious than ever before. The safety of women is very concerning now the public know there are many officers that cannot be fully trusted.
Sir Mark Rowley apologised to Carrick’s victims for the force’s serious failings.
“We have failed. And I’m sorry. He should not have been a police officer,” he said.
Sir Mark said: “This man abused women in the most disgusting manner. It is sickening. We’ve let women and girls down, and indeed we’ve let Londoners down. The women who suffered and survived this violence have been unimaginably brave and courageous in coming forward.
“I do understand also that this will lead to some women across London questioning whether they can trust the Met to keep them safe.
“We haven’t applied the same sense of ruthlessness to guarding our own integrity that we routinely apply to confronting criminals.”
Carrick, who worked for the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, committed the offences against 12 women across two decades.
More difficult to come to terms with is the fact that serius complaints against
A spokesman for the prime minister said high-profile cases such as Carrick’s had “shattered” the public’s trust in policing.
Rishi Sunak retains faith in the Met and its chief Sir Mark Rowley, the spokesman said, adding: “The commissioner has acknowledged the significant work required by the force.”
“We owe it to all of his victims that this work takes place,” she said.
She added the scope of Lady Elish Angiolini’s current non-statutory inquiry into the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard should be extended to include the actions of PC Carrick came to the attention of the police on nine separate occasions, but was ignord by the force.
Any inquiry into Carrick should “include the conduct of David Carrick and the potential opportunities the Met, other police forces and organisations may have had to identify his pattern of behaviour prior to October 2021, to stop him being a police officer and, ultimately, stop him offending,” she said.
The issue was “so serious”, she said, that if extending the current inquiry was not possible she would volunteer to conduct a separate inquiry.
It puts extra pressure on Home Secretary Suella Braverman to do more to clean up the police force and make sure women are protected. Apologising does not repair the scars left on the victims of perverted police officers with a sex problem, Braverman must make it her priroty to sort out the mess in the police force.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said it was a “sobering day” for the Met and “the whole policing family throughout the country”.
“This appalling incident represents a breach of trust, it will affect people’s confidence in police and it’s clear that standards and culture need to change in policing.
She said chief constables needed to follow recent guidance by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary on prioritising vetting and recruiting processes.
“I expect every chief constable to take on board those recommendations and implement them urgently,” she said.