Review highlights ‘serious failures of culture and leadership’ at MPS, says Home Secretary

Responding to Baroness Casey’s final report in her independent review of the MPS, Suella Braverman said: “It is clear that there have been serious failures of culture and leadership in the Metropolitan Police – which is why the Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, has been taking action to restore confidence in policing in London.

“I will continue to hold the Commissioner to account to deliver a wholesale change in the force’s culture.

“There is much more to do and the task of rooting out unfit officers means that further unacceptable cases will come to light.

“We shouldn’t, however, overlook the many officers working in the Met who carry out their duties with the utmost professionalism and who have been let down by the failures of others. I am confident that under Sir Mark’s leadership, progress is being made to reform standards and deliver common sense policing for all Londoners.

“The Government is also driving forward work to improve culture, standards and behaviour across policing, including strengthening vetting and reviewing the dismissals process.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council chair Martin Hewitt said: “Baroness Louise Casey’s review of the Metropolitan Police contains truly awful details and systemic failings. It will bring out the strongest of feelings.

“I am confident that Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s leadership team and the committed, professional majority of officers and staff will succeed in turning the failings around and create the police service London deserves.

“All police chiefs have committed to change to become actively anti-racist.  Equally we want a police service that is anti-misogynistic, anti-homophobic and anti-discrimination of any kind.

“The review reinforces once again the urgency of our current mission across policing to lift the stones and root corrupt individuals and unacceptable behaviour out of policing, alongside delivering the long term, sustainable improvements to standards, vetting and misconduct processes we have promised. We expect to be judged on the results the public and our people see.

“I share the Commissioner’s view the report must be a catalyst for making policing better, not pillorying the good majority of police officers and staff. It is a substantial and important report, I will take time to consider its findings and recommendations for their implications beyond London.”

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, the College of Policing chief executive officer, said the Casey review “must lead to tangible and quick action”.

“Today’s review has laid bare the horrendous examples of how the very people the Met are there to serve are the ones who have lost confidence, been let down, mistreated and denied justice,” he said.

“We have heard of an internal culture that has let down officers and staff who serve the public every day, many of whom have suffered bullying or discrimination.

“It is unfathomable to the public how policing has found itself in a position where some of the worst behaviours in society are found among our ranks.”

Mr Marsh added: “I have been in policing for almost four decades and this is one of the most challenging times I can remember.

“Baroness Casey has called out the failings in leadership across the Met, but the college’s work to overhaul leadership must now be implemented in every force. This will standardise the training and development at every rank to embed professionalism, respect and inclusion.

“Public service, courage, respect and empathy will be cemented at the heart of everything we do through our refreshed Code of Ethics for policing. These will be the foundations of an improved public service not just in the Met but across all of policing.

“The Casey review must lead to tangible and quick action. It cannot become just another warning light of the serious issues with culture, leadership, performance and professionalism at the Metropolitan Police.

“I know and have seen how committed Sir Mark Rowley and his new leadership team are to turning things around and rebuilding the trust of the public. This work is already well underway and the College will continue to support the Met to improve.

“I remain convinced and determined that in the coming months and years we will rebuild the public’s trust. Policing will do that through better performance, strong ethics and high standards shown through the thousands of dedicated, brave and committed police officers who come to work every day to keep the public safe.”

Independent Office for Police Conduct Interim Director General Tom Whiting said Baroness Casey’s report “must be a watershed moment for the leadership of the Metropolitan Police”.

“The Met must learn and reflect on Baroness Casey’s stark findings – and seize this opportunity to fundamentally change its culture,” he said. “We rightly cherish the principle of policing by consent but this relies on the trust and confidence of the public. If we want this to continue then the Met must demonstrate that it is committed to making the changes that are so clearly needed by implementing Baroness Casey’s recommendations.

“The Met cannot do this alone. There is a need for fundamental reform to policing as a whole to improve standards, root out wrongdoers, deal with poor performance, and support police officers to be the best they can be.

“At the IOPC, as the police complaints watchdog we will continue to hold policing to account, and use learning from our work to highlight where improvements are needed. We will also work with police and others to identify how the system can be reformed and what needs to be done to make it happen.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said “the evidence is damning”.

“Baroness Casey has found institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia, which I accept. She has described the Met as defensive, resistant to change and unwilling to engage with communities,” he said.

“As mayor, I’ve already acted to put the Met on a path of far-reaching systematic and cultural reform, with the appointment of a new Commissioner and leadership team who acknowledge the scale of the problems and are committed to change. But clearly much more needs to be done, and fast.

“I have been determined as mayor to shine a light on the true extent of the cultural problems in the Met as this is the only way to properly address the deep-rooted issues and regain the trust of Londoners. This review simply must be a turning point and I expect all the recommendations to be implemented quickly and in full.

“I want to assure Londoners that I’ll be unflinching in my resolve to support and hold the new Commissioner to account as he works to overhaul the force. The Met has many committed, professional police officers and staff who want to be part of this change. I see police reform as a critical part of my mayoralty and I will not be satisfied until Londoners have the police service they deserve – one that is trusted, representative and delivers the highest possible service to every community in our city as we work to build a safer London for everyone.”

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners chair Marc Jones said: “This report makes for difficult and distressing reading and will undoubtably shake the very foundations of the public’s trust and confidence in policing across the board.

“As the public’s representatives to policing we will not shy away from the hard truths in this significant report. It is time to shine a light on the darkest corners of unacceptable culture and practices within policing and other public service areas too. We will be reviewing it in detail and will work with our national partners to ensure any broader recommendations are acted on.

“The need for strong and effective public oversight and governance for policing across the whole of the UK has never been greater. Our priority as police and crime commissioners is to hold chief constables accountable on behalf of the public, to see trust and confidence in policing restored and retained. We will not falter in our determination to see them root out misogynistic, homophobic, and racist behaviour at the earliest opportunity.”

Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs said: “The findings of Louise Casey’s year-long review could not be more distressing or damning: “institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia” which we see play out every day has extremely serious consequences for victims and survivors.

“The experiences of victims and survivors laid out in this report are profoundly appalling and incredibly harrowing. They reflect what we hear from survivors daily especially minoritised survivors who face additional barriers to reporting.

“For many, this report will serve to vindicate and recognise their experiences, which have for far too long, been silenced and ignored.

“I am glad the Met is acknowledging the scale of the challenge it faces. This must be a watershed moment. I will arrange to meet the Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, to ensure that there is demonstrable progress and scrutiny. The time for lip service is over.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the operational focus on domestic abuse and serious violence but as this review makes clear, there is no evidence that has been backed up in reality with resources.

“This must be rectified as forces work to implement the serious violence duty and prioritise responses to domestic abuse as part of the Strategic Policing Requirement.

“The establishment of the Met’s Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences Investigation Unit is a positive, but I want to see more specialist domestic abuse protection units across England and Wales; more robust action to rid forces of police perpetrators and more stringent vetting procedures to stop abusers entering forces in the first place.

“I don’t believe this is just a Met issue. Cultural change is required across all forces and that will need strong leadership from every constabulary and from the Home Secretary which I will raise with her at our meeting next week.”

The Centre for Women’s Justice said Baroness Casey’s review of the MPS culture is “without precedent in its unswerving criticism of a corrupt, institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic police force”.

In a statement it said: “We welcome her ‘no holds barred’ approach and determination to go beyond the usual “learning the lessons” we have repeatedly seen with reports and reviews of policing over the years which have changed nothing. We note, however, that this is an internal review and that more could still emerge if an inquiry with statutory powers were to be established that could hear voices of those that have been failed by the Met.

“Baroness Casey confirms a culture which not only tolerates but fosters many of  the worst forms of criminal abuse from within its ranks and reveals shocking treatment of forensic evidence gathering in sexual violence investigations.

“As an organisation that works with victims of male violence and police abuse, the rats’ nest that has been laid to bare provides an explanation for the repeated dreadful stories we hear from the many women who have contacted us. This is not a problem confined to the Metropolitan Police but is prevalent in police forces across the country. It is utterly shameful that women and children have been failed as the report highlights.”

Responding to Baroness Casey’s calls for a “complete overhaul” of the MPS and a “new approach to restore public trust and confidence”, Harriet Wistrich, director of Centre for Women’s Justice said: “We do not have policing by consent. The only way forward to restore the rule of law is to start re-imagining how policing can serve all citizens.

“A fundamental problem with policing is the culture of loyalty which militates against self-criticism, against whistle-blowing and allows collusion and silence. Any such process of fundamental reform must involve hearing the voices of survivors and others at the hard edge of the policing and those that support them.

“All the recommendations of the Casey review must be accepted and effectively implemented.  Those in leadership within the Met must be held accountable for their implementation. Those politicians responsible for the Met and policing also need to be accountable. There must be regular reviews of the process of implementation to ensure that this work is effective and continuing.

“There needs to be real accountability built into the system for those failing to address the problems and there must be adequate powers to ensure recommendations are followed. Until those issues are addressed, in reality nothing will change.

“We also repeat our call for the Angiolini inquiry to be given statutory powers. Whilst the Casey review is fundamentally damning we may still not know the true extent. How can we know  whether the Met have been fully open and provided all relevant evidence and where there has not been a process for whistle-blowers to come forward without fear.

“The Casey review for all its unstinting critique of the Met will necessarily have gaps in the absence of such powers.”

Lucy Hadley, head of policy at Women’s Aid said: “Baroness Casey has found that the Met is broken. If this shocking report does not lead to system wide change within the country’s largest police force, what will?

“Every day, our services hear from domestic abuse survivors saying they have been failed by the police – women who are not believed, women whose pain is underplayed, women whose lives are treated as less. This report lays bare this reality – finding that the police officers who respond to domestic abuse and sexual violence across the capital are inexperienced, over-stretched and under-resourced.

“The Met Commissioner’s apology is welcome, but words are not enough. Too many women have been hurt and killed – the Met must change to ensure women and children get the protection and support they deserve and to root out the endemic racism, homophobia and sexism which is breaking the public’s trust in the force.” 

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “This damning report leaves the Met nowhere to hide when it comes to the depth of its problems with institutional misogyny, racism and homophobia.

“There is, however, a long history of such revelations about the Met – including on undercover policing stretching back to the 1980s and beyond, to the findings of the Macpherson report, and numerous police inspectorate reports since. We demand that today’s report finally initiates a tangible shift in the operation of policing in the UK. If not now, then when, and at what cost?

“The findings of the review shed light on issues women’s organisations and racial justice groups have long sounded the alarm about, and we’re pleased to see many of our calls for transparency, accountability and leadership reflected in its recommendations. But we know that they are not just issues for the Met, and also apply to police forces across the country.

“However, words can only go so far, and the Met cannot be more concerned with fixing its image than fixing its problems. Many women and girls rely on the police when seeking safety and justice, and we will be looking to the government to see what concrete actions they take to transform their experiences.”

She added: “The Casey review arrives within the context of the Government’s raid on our rights. The routinely condemned Public Order Bill would hand police ever more draconian powers. The drive to increase police officer numbers is being pushed by the Government, but this is not being done in a planned and thoughtful way so we can be sure that the right kinds of candidates are being recruited and retained.

“The ongoing threat to take away our Human Rights Act would also remove what is often the only tool for survivors to hold the police to account for failing them. We cannot afford to roll back our rights and accountability over an institution that remains in crisis.”

Cordelia Tucker O’Sullivan, director of Policy, Research and Comms at Revolving Doors said: “Over 20 years ago, in what was considered a ‘watershed’ moment, the inquiry into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence concluded.

“The findings were emphatic about the existence and extent of institutional racism in the Met Police and across our public institutions, urging serious, meaningful action. All that followed were years of piecemeal measures that stopped short of the systemic change that was needed.

“Racial disparities continue to pervade all areas of the criminal justice system, with trust and confidence in the police remaining disastrously low.

“Today in what, no doubt, will again be considered a seminal moment, the Baroness Casey Review has laid bare the rot of structural discrimination that has continued to permeate the Met Police – an institution of the state charged with upholding its duties with integrity, common sense, and sound judgement. Two decades on from Stephen Lawrence, institutional misogyny and homophobia are added to official charges of racism.

“It is high time the Met accepts that it is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic – this is not a time for the force to close ranks and rehash the narrative of ‘a few bad apples’. Nor is it time for cherrypicked, narrow reforms coupled with headline grabbing political posturing.

“These deep-rooted issues cannot be changed until they are faced honestly. This will take a level of bravery, integrity and political will that we have seen little of to date. This is not about demonising individuals but is a rallying call for nothing short of radical, long-lasting systemic change.

“Our hope is this latest review could finally be the catalyst for that and we stand in solidarity with those who have been at the sharp end of institutional discrimination at the hands of the Met.”

Susan Hall AM, chair of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, said: “I am shocked by the findings of this report, which show the sheer scale of the institutional failings that have mired the Met Police for far too long.

“Londoners deserve a police force that is focused on tackling crime and protecting people.

“Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has repeatedly reassured the committee that his priority is tackling issues of integrity and standards in the Metropolitan Police and we welcome this commitment.

“The mayor must also play his part in ensuring the Met overcomes these issues and regains public confidence.

“Baroness Casey and the Commissioner will appear before the committee on Wednesday (March 22), where we will consider this report’s findings in more detail.”

A Metropolitan Police Federation spokesman said it notes the “well-publicised failings documented in the Casey Review”, adding: “Our view is that everyone now has to work together to move The Metropolitan Police forward and make it a proud organisation again that people want to be part of and want to serve in.

“There is no escaping the fact that the police service has to improve to regain the trust and confidence of the public. The MPF on behalf of the officers we represent will continue to work with the Metropolitan Police Service to make this happen. Leadership of the service – as the report identifies – must improve to help that occur.

“Part of that trust and confidence process is ridding the service of those who don’t deserve the privilege of being a police officer – and who disgrace us all. The Federation does not shy away from this fact. If officers are proven to be guilty of horrific offences, then we will be the first to say that we do not want these individuals in the job.

“However we must say that the narrative in the media and from some police leaders and politicians over recent weeks that police officers should be guilty until proven innocent is not acceptable.

“Any reform of the police must not come at the expense of due process for officers pending or subject to conduct procedures.

“The criminal and statutory misconduct processes must always be followed. Any investigation, finding or sanction should be in keeping with relevant Police Regulations and legislation and be in keeping with the long-standing principles of United Kingdom law.”

They concluded: “The Metropolitan Police Federation actively supports the interests of more than 30,000 members on a daily basis. Their morale is plummeting – they are traumatised by the constant attacks to their proud profession.

“Within the Federation’s daily work, we will also continue to speak up for the tens of thousands of hard working, brave and courageous police officers – who are out there as you read this – working tirelessly to keep Londoners safe.

“They – like us – are being gravely let down by a small number of individuals.”

The London Assembly’s Labour policing and crime spokesperson, Unmesh Desai AM, said: “This report shows the Met can’t police themselves and the structures currently in place are failing those they are set out to protect.

“Londoners need action, and transparency, from the Commissioner. It’s imperative Sir Mark not only talks reform, but also enacts reform.

“The ransacking of police budgets since 2010 has severely affected the quantity, and quality of officers, and damaged neighbourhood policing and community relations.

“Tangible changes must be made to vetting, complaints and disciplinary mechanisms, so victims feel able to come forward, and protected once they do.

“Londoners need to see a clear sign of intent set out on culture and values as the Met addresses the abuse that has been allowed to fester in the force for far too long

“This needs to be a watershed moment for modern policing. This isn’t the time for half measures. I will hold the Commissioner to account to ensure it’s not.”