'Call us to report corrupt cops', say Met Police bosses, after string of officer scandals

29 November 2022, 00:01 | Updated: 29 November 2022, 00:26

The Metropolitan Police is asking people to report officers they think are corrupt, after a series of recent scandals that have hurt the reputation of the London force.

The Met will set up an anonymous hotline that concerned Londoners can use to name and shame officers they think are breaking the law themselves.

It comes after a string of serious and high-profile crimes committed by Met Police officers, including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens last year, the case of two officers who shared pictures of the bodies of murder victims Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, and the strip searching of schoolchildren.

New commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has spoken of his frustration at the slow process to get rid of unsuitable officers, with hundreds of corrupt staff still on the force.

Commander James Harman, head of the anti-corruption and abuse command, said: "What we want to do with this hotline is to say to the public, we want information about officers who are fundamentally corrupt or who are abusing their policing position.

"And we want to recognise that for members of the public who are trapped in a relationship of corrupt and abusive use of power, they might not know where to go.

"They might not feel comfortable walking into the local police station, they might not feel comfortable going through the established routes.

"What we are offering them is a hotline by Crimestoppers, an independent charity with a well-known, well-trusted brand, where someone can reach out for help, anonymously or not, to tell us about corruption or abuse in the Met.

"This will offer people a different way to seek help that they might not otherwise have felt able to do."

The free hotline will be run by charity Crimestoppers on 0800 085 0000.

People can contact the line anonymously with information about officers or staff who take bribes, use their powers for sex, are abusive towards their partner or family, or are racist, homophobic or misogynistic.

The Met will be the first force in the UK to have a hotline of this kind.

As well as the cases of Ms Everard and Ms Smallman and Ms Henry there was also widespread public outrage over racist and misogynist messages shared by officers based at Charing Cross, revealed earlier this year.

Sir Mark Rowley: Frankly, we've been too weak at setting standards in the organisation

Meanwhile a watchdog found that the force's anti-corruption systems are not fit for purpose, and a damning review of disciplinary procedures by Baroness Casey found officers and staff were getting away with misconduct and breaking the law, in a conduct system that is itself racist and misogynist.

Mr Harman added: "We recognise that we've had far too many very serious cases where the public have felt let down and been let down by our officers and staff.

"I think the Met now, recognising how much that trust has been damaged, wants to get on the front foot in demonstrating we are proactively seeking to rebuild confidence, and part of that is about ensuring that we're doing everything we can to drive up high standards in our organisation.

"So we're very proud to be the first force taking what we think is a bold but necessary step, to ask the public for their help in identifying officers and staff that are letting us all down so very badly."