‘Scale of Challenge’: London's Metropolitan Police to Crack Down on Rogue Officers to Improve Image

Scotland Yard’s Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who took the helm of the Metropolitan Police in September 2022, pledged to root out rogue officers, vowing "more trust, less crime”, and “high standards."

The London Metropolitan Police (Met) has fired dozens of officers over the past six months and is grappling with older misconduct cases to restore public trust after a spate of scandals, Met chief Sir Mark Rowley has revealed.

In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Thursday, Rowley admitted that almost 200 serving Metropolitan Police staff previously accused of sex crimes or domestic abuse need urgent risk assessment or new vetting.

The Met's latest update also found nearly 700 completed cases where there might be new or missed lines of inquiry, according to the commissioner.

"On far too many occasions dating back 10 years, opportunities may have been missed or decisions have been taken that have left those who corrupt our integrity free to remain in policing," Rowley, who took over last September said.

Referring to his previous pledge to rid the police force of unsuitable individuals among its more than 43,000 officers and staff, he pointed out: "I said we were serious about this and I meant it. This is the strongest doubling-down on standards in the Met for 50 years.”

Braverman, for her part, said that "Sir Mark’s update on the work to root out unfit officers demonstrates the scale of this challenge but I have confidence in his plan to turn around the Met and ensure the force is delivering for the public."

"I am also driving forward work to review the police dismissals process to ensure the system is effective at removing officers who fall below the standards we expect," she added.

The remarks follow last month’s independent review finding the Met to be institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, and unable to police itself. The review called for urgent reform of the force, which has been hit by a wave of scandals, including the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by off-duty Met PC Wayne Couzens in 2022.