Met Police: Mayor warns ‘vile behaviour’ will ‘undermine policing across the country’

The Labour mayor, who oversees policing in West Yorkshire, spoke out after a major review by Baroness Louise Casey found that Britain’s biggest police force is institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, and failing to protect women and girls from violence.

In her report, Baroness Casey called for “a complete overhaul” of the Met and a “new approach to restore public trust and confidence”.

She also said she could not guarantee that more dangerous men, like murderer Wayne Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick, are not serving in the Met.

The scandals have sparked concerns in other parts of the country and Labour councillors in Wakefield claim that a number of local women have lost confidence in the police, following Carrick’s conviction.

At a meeting today, they will call on West Yorkshire Police to introduce a new policy that would ensure that male officers are never left alone with women who have committed, witnessed or fallen victim to a crime.

Ms Brabin said: “This review makes for shocking reading and exposes vile behaviour and attitudes that undermine the work of policing across the country - including here in West Yorkshire.

“We share Louise Casey’s ambition to protect women and girls from harm and want to work with her to identify how to achieve that in our region and beyond.

“There should be zero tolerance for violence against women and girls and my message to anybody affected is to come forward and report it, because you will be heard.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said this was “one of the darkest days in the history of our almost 200-year-old Met Police Service” and the public need to see “evidence” of change in the coming weeks and months.

Others have claimed that the damning review shows the force has failed to tackle deep-rooted issues since it was branded institutionally racist in the 1999 Macpherson Report.

Home Secretary Suella Braveman told MPs yesterday there have been “serious failures of culture, leadership, and standards” in the Met, and some issues could take years to fully address.

But she also rejected calls to abolish the force and said Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is “the right person to lead the organisation to reform and improvement”.

Sir Mark said he accepted there was evidence of racism, misogyny and homophobia in the force, but he would not use the term institutional because it has become politicised and means different things to different people.

“I’m not going to sit in front of Londoners and say ‘We’ll get this sorted overnight’. That would lack credibility,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“But month by month, quarter by quarter, they will see progress because we are absolutely determined to deal with the issues identified here.”

The review found the Met “under-protects and over-polices” black people, while staff from ethnic minorities “experience racism at work and it is routinely ignored, dismissed, or not spoken about”.

One Sikh officer had his beard cut off while a Muslim officer had bacon put in his boots.

There is evidence of “deep seated homophobia” and widespread bullying, while female officers and staff routinely experience misogyny and sexism.

The review also found parts of the Met are “under-resourced and creaking at the seams”, as neighbourhood policing teams have been “decimated” and response teams and the Criminal Investigation Department are “totally overstretched”.