Met could spend £7m a year on suspended officers after High Court ruling over security clearances
12 February 2025, 12:51
Scotland Yard could be forced to spend £7m a year on suspended officers who now can’t be sacked because their security clearance has been removed.
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The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police yesterday hit out at an "absurd" ruling by the High Court which said he couldn’t dismiss officers who have unproven allegations of sexual abuse against them, by revoking their vetting.
Urging the Home Office to bring forward changes to the regulations "within weeks", Sir Mark Rowley warned the bill would run into the "many tens of millions" of pounds if people who have been sacked seek to return.
He made clear that they wouldn’t be allowed back on the frontline or into the office and would remain on special leave until he is able to legally get rid of them.
“I've had complete support from Suella Braverman, James Cleverly and Yvette Cooper as home secretaries over the last two and a half years,” Sir Mark said, “and that's why I'm so frustrated that officials have not moved with the pace this requires.”
“Bear in mind the fact this is only secondary legislation, it's only regulations. It's not the hardest thing in the world to change.”
Addressing members of the London Assembly, he added: “We're spending millions of pounds on the current people who are on paid leave at home and I think the bill for them would run to about seven million a year.
“But if the regulations aren't fixed, that number will tick up and up and up and if the people who have already left are left with a right to come back and get back pay and sue us, then it gets to the many tens of millions.”
The warning comes as Scotland Yard finalises its budget, warning that a large proportion of their "tough choices" list would have to be executed, which included the possibility of cutting more than 2,000 officers and 400 staff members.
The Met confirmed it would be appealing the High Court judgement, which was made in favour of dismissed Sergeant Lino Di Maria, forcing a halt to Scotland Yard’s current efforts to clean up its ranks.
Operation Assure, which put officers and staff back through security checks if they had a pattern of allegations against them, has seen 96 officers leave the force with another 29 already on special leave.
More than 300 had been referred through the framework since it began.
Sir Mark Rowley said: “I don't apologise for stepping into legally uncertain, untested space. The most important thing is the integrity of the police.
“It's not enormous numbers but it's big enough to be a threat to our integrity if we don't take it on.
This is about everybody in the organisation who wants rid of these people.
“I'm disappointed that the High Court feels the law doesn't allow the tactics we were using and we will appeal that but regardless, we urgently need to change the regulation.”
Last night, the education secretary confirmed to LBC that vetting processes will be “overhauled” by the government.
Bridget Phillipson told Andrew Marr: "It underlines the importance of making sure we press ahead as fast as we can around the changes we need to make on vetting.
“The Home Secretary will make sure that vetting is overhauled, so we can be completely confident that police officers serving the public are fit and proper people to be carrying out those duties."
