Half of Londoners no longer trust the police
Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said she “doesn’t accept” that her force has failed, after a poll found 49 per cent of Londoners no longer trust her officers.
Dame Cressida made the remarks during her regular ‘Call the Commissioner’ spot on LBC radio where presenter Nick Ferrari presented her with the results of the poll.
In addition to only half of respondents saying they trusted the MPS, almost a quarter (23 per cent) of people said their actively distrusted the police. Around one third of women aged between 18 and 30 also said they actively distrusted the police.
“Well certainly I would like those figures to be much higher obviously,” said Dame Cressida. “Rest-assured we survey regularly and our general figures, normally, are up in about the 70s, and they stayed up there for a considerable time. That is very much higher, sadly, than other public servants. But if it is the case that your poll is representative and it has dropped to that, then it is a challenge.
“I do absolutely understand that in particular, not exclusively, the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer has absolutely damaged people’s trust in us. That’s something I regret.
“It isn’t the only event this year where people have looked at what a very small number of my colleagues have been doing, or alleged to have been doing, and have felt very, very upset about that. The vast majority of my officers are good people, decent people.”
Accused of ‘failing’ the people of London, Dame Cressida said: “I don’t accept that. I don’t like those figures – I’m not questioning them – but I don’t accept the words you used.”
The LBC poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 people, found that trust levels for men were slightly higher, with more than half (54 per cent) of men in London saying they trust the MPS and around a fifth (21 per cent) saying they distrust the MPS.
