Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley 'can't remember any sexism or racism' during 30-year police career

26 April 2023, 14:26 | Updated: 26 April 2023, 16:37

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said he "can't remember" any racism, sexism, or misogynistic behaviour during his three-decades long career in policing.

Sir Mark made the comments as he faced questions about policing priorities by the Home Affairs Committee.

Asked by committee member and Tory party chairman Lee Anderson for examples of racism, sexism and misogynistic behaviour he had witnessed during his career as a police officer, and what he did about it, Sir Mark said he has "always been tough on standards in the organisation".

Pressed to provide examples, Sir Mark said: "I can't remember any immediately."

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Asked if he could remember any, he said, "no, I can't".

Mr Anderson said he found it difficult to believe he hadn't seen a single instance of such behaviour.

"As a senior officer, I have sit on many misconduct panels. I pretty much dismissed everybody who has come in front of me on those panels," Sir Mark said.

"I've always been very tough on that."

Sir Mark, said the case report on these issues showed there are officers at the force "who are angry and upset because they recognise this and they've had these experiences", but there are others "who haven't seen it and don't recognise it. People have different experiences in the organisation".

He confirmed he had seen "nothing like that" during his time in the Met, and that he was "not going to try and test my memory to back to the 1980s" for instances he'd been witness to throughout his career as a police officer.

Tory backbencher James Daly said the force had been a “complete and utter mess” for a long time and that as a Commissioner and former senior officer, Sir Mark was one of those who are responsible.

Sir Mark, who took on the top job at the UK's biggest police force in June last year, insisted that he has always been committed to high standards and is currently “doubling down on standards more ferociously” than has been done for decades.

The Met chief added that is was “completely unacceptable” the Met was still employing dozens of officers with criminal convictions and wants to be given stronger powers to dismiss such individuals - measures he hoped Home Secretary Suella Braverman is soon to introduce.

Mr Daly accused Sir Mark of contributing to the current state of the force, which was recently condemned in a damning report by Baroness Casey as institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, with widespread failings in every department it examined.

“The situation you find yourself in in this organisation is a national disgrace,” Mr Daly told Sir Mark. “It’s time that politicians called out the management of organisations like yours for what it is — a complete and utter mess for a long time.

“Senior police officers must have turned a blind eye. I can’t find any statement from you back in 2018 saying it’s outrageous we’ve got these police officers who shouldn’t be serving in the organisation.

“You seem to be typical of senior police officers at Met Police who have just gone along with this, gone along with this negligence, this incompetence, turned a blind eye. I have real concerns about that.”

Sir Mark said that since his return to the Met last September, he has been determined in ridding the force of rogue police. “We have made much progress over the last few decades but it’s not enough and we are doubling down on standards more ferocious than has been done for five decades,” he said.

“We are removing people faster and tackling these issues. But the vast majority of our people are good people and a debate which turns this into pillory of the police root and branch is not something I am going to accept.”

Sir Mark's appearance before MPs comes as new figures revealed that over 20,000 new police officers have been recruited in England and Wales, fulfilling a Tory manifesto pledge.

However, the Met was the only force out of 43 forces to miss its individual target, 1,000 short of its goal.

The force had been told to employ 4,557 new officers, but according to provisional Home Office figures only hired 3,468 in the period.