Priti Patel 'thinks Met is rotten from top to bottom' after Sarah Everard murder
11 October 2021, 08:40
Priti Patel believes the Met is "rotten from top to bottom" and views it as "absolutely the worst" of Britain's police forces, according to a report.
The Home Secretary wants to bring the force under greater political control after the murder of Sarah Everard, and is said to have been left frustrated when dealing with senior officers, including the embattled commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.
The Times said Ms Patel lost patience with Dame Cressida, believing her to have been "very defensive" and "tin eared", telling the Met's chief to "cut the crap" at one stage.
An inquiry into how the Met handled the Sarah Everard case – in which its officer, Wayne Couzens, handcuffed her under false circumstances before raping and killing her – has been announced, while another inquiry has been launched by the commissioner into the force's culture.
The clash with Dame Cressida comes despite top Tories lining up publicly to back the commissioner in recent weeks. She has faced calls to stand down.
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Health secretary Sajid Javid, a former Home Secretary, told LBC's Andrew Castle that she was the "right person" to implement reforms and said "we've just got to make sure" changes are put in place.
Policing minister Kit Malthouse told LBC's Nick Ferrari she was the "the right person for the job" and cited her commitment to improving the force.
Dame Cressida was given a two-year extension to her contract despite opposition to her staying as London’s top cop.
Ms Patel’s view of the Met as “rotten from top to bottom” was the Times’ own characterisation of beliefs, with a senior Home Office source telling the paper about her views.
It said she wants to use the recently established National Policing Board to hold forces to account.
The Met declined to comment.
