The head of the Metropolitan Police says there are nonetheless “toxic individuals” within the power and he feels “embarrassed” by a scathing assessment that discovered it’s institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic.
Sir Mark Rowley described the assessment by Baroness Louise Casey as “very, very worrying” – and admitted there are members of the power who’re suspended or beneath investigation.
He stated that “maybe” the Met has bought “toxic individuals” of whom the power has “concerns about their predatory behaviour”.
While absolutely accepting “the diagnosis” of the findings, Sir Mark wouldn’t use the time period “institutionally racist” to explain the power.
Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, he informed Kay Burley: “We have a real problem here. We have misogyny, homophobia and racism in the organisation. We’re absolutely determined to deliver the transformation required.”
He added: “We’re removing officers more quickly. We’re tackling these issues. And meanwhile, day in and day out, I’ve got the officers of the force who are coming forward and they are absolutely determined to tackle this – the vast majority.
“I used to be embarrassed and angered by this… and we need to make a distinction.”
Sir Mark said the recommendations from Baroness Casey “will massively affect considering and the plans now we have forward to reform the policing in London as we strengthen our work in neighbourhoods, as we enhance the response to victims and as we deal with the poisonous people within the organisation.”
He stated he’ll give a full replace on the work to reform the Met by the top of the month.
Met Police wants ‘full overhaul’
Baroness Louise Casey, who spent a 12 months investigating the Met Police within the wake of the homicide of Sarah Everard by then-officer Wayne Couzens, concluded in her assessment that Britain’s largest power wants a “complete overhaul” and should must be damaged up.
Her 363-page report additionally discovered proof of widespread bullying, racist attitudes and “deep-seated homophobia” within the power.
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‘We’ve let Londoners down’
Key findings of the assessment
In response, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated work was already occurring in police forces to regain folks’s belief.
Mr Sunak informed BBC Breakfast on Tuesday that the police commissioner is “committed to doing that”, including “there are already some changes underway at the moment”.
“It’s not just in London – across the country we’ve changed the guidance for police forces, for how they vet new police officers,” he stated.
Forces are actually checking all their officers once more in opposition to the police database, and they’re being overseen by the unbiased inspector, the prime minister stated.
Further unacceptable instances ‘will come to mild’
London mayor Sadiq Khan has stated he accepts “full responsibility” for the assessment’s findings because the boss of the police power.
He informed Sky News’s Kay Burley that Met Commissioner Sir Mark has his “confidence” and that he had misplaced confidence within the former commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick.
Mr Khan stated what Baroness Casey is demanding is a “complete overhaul” of the Met Police.
On Sir Mark not accepting the total findings of the report in his interview with Burley, Mr Khan stated: “I fully accept the report. I think the police service is usually racist, it’s usually homophobic, it’s usually misogynistic, and that’s sort of the complete overhaul. So the commissioner should look again at accepting that.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman stated in a press release shared on Twitter that she is “confident that under Sir Mark’s leadership, progress is being made to reform standards and deliver common sense policing for all Londoners”.
However, she admitted there may be “much more to do and the task of rooting out unfit officers means that further unacceptable cases will come to light”.
Review is a ‘wake-up name’
Shadow policing minister Sarah Jones informed Sky News that Baroness Casey has “left no stone unturned” and that the Met “cannot police itself”.
“I think fundamentally what [Baroness] Louise is saying is that policing attracts the best of humanity, but it will also attract predators and people who do harm,” she stated.
“And in the same way that we have changed systems in education or in medicine, we need to do the same in policing.
“We want to verify there aren’t predatory folks allowed to exist within the Met and to proceed, function and be Metropolitan Police officers.”
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Community needs to be put back ‘at heart of policing’
Also reacting to the review was Nusrit Mehtab, former Scotland Yard superintendent, who described Baroness Casey’s report as “damning”, adding she has “held a mirror into the workforce”.
“And what you see is that they are institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. And it is a police service that has misplaced its approach. It is stunning and devastating for the folks of London.”
She added that if the head of the Metropolitan Police Service will not accept the review’s recommendations, then an “unbiased physique needs to be introduced in to dismantle” the force.
“It’s a giant beast they usually do specialisms very effectively, by way of placing investing cash within the frontline policing, however neighbourhood policing has been uncared for. So these are the issues that they actually do must spend money on and specialisms must be hived off,” Ms Mehtab stated.
Source: information.sky.com”