“Now we have a commissioner who is not in denial,” he said, adding: “That’s the difference, you don’t have a commissioner in Sir Mark who is lethargic, defensive or arrogant.
“You have a commissioner with a plan to address these issues and with a plan to restore trust and confidence.”
Sir Mark has pledged to implement all of Dame Louise’s recommendations and has called for police chiefs to be given back the power to sack officers guilty of serious misconduct and reopen new cases.
The report finds that only 13 of the 1,809 offenders fired
Repeat offenders have also remained in place, with only 13 of 1,809 officers and staff having more than one case against them since 2013.
The report found that 1,263 were involved in two or more cases, more than 500 were involved in three to five and 41 were involved in six or more, the highest number being 19.
Sir Mark said he was appalled by the findings. He said the number of officers and staff made redundant each year, between 30 and 50, was “massively under-designed”, and estimated there are hundreds of officers in the Met who should be kicked out of the force.
“You have to come to the conclusion that there must be hundreds of people who shouldn’t be here, who should be kicked out,” Sir Mark said.
“There must be hundreds of people who are behaving disgracefully, undermining our integrity and need to be kicked out.”
Dame Louise said her findings must be a “line in the sand” moment.
The Met is so unclear about what constitutes serious misconduct that repeated incidents of sexual misconduct towards colleagues would not result in an officer being sacked, it found.
Dame Louise said: “There are times when I’ve looked at cases with people I’ve heard and wondered what exactly would be serious misconduct to get them out of the force.”
She was brought in to examine misconduct procedures and culture within the Metropolitan Police following the killing of Sarah Everard by an on-duty officer and a series of scandals surrounding disturbing messages shared by officers on WhatsApp.
Its interim report into misconduct proceedings was released on Monday.
In a letter to Sir Mark, he said: “The misconduct system is not working in a way that you, I, your officers or the public expect.
“Cases take too long to resolve, allegations are more likely to be dismissed than acted upon, the burden on those who raise concerns is too heavy, and there is a racial disparity throughout the system, with white officers treated less harshly than blacks or Asians. officers”.
The eight key issues
He outlined eight key issues in his letter:
- The Met takes too long to resolve misconduct cases, averaging 400 days, but almost 20 per cent take more than two years.
- Between 55% and 60% of misconduct allegations result in a finding of no case to answer, higher than the national average of 46%, and supervisors warn staff against taking misconduct action.
- Fewer cases of discrimination (20%) and sexual misconduct (29%) end up with a case to answer the decision, compared to 33% of all cases. The report found that this adds to a sense that discriminatory behavior is not a breach of standards and a sense that “anything goes”.
- Officers and staff who have faced repeated claims of misconduct are not adequately disciplined. Between 2013 and 2022, 20 percent were repeat offenders who had been involved in two or more cases, but less than one percent had been dismissed.
- Many cases of misconduct are handled by overstretched local units without adequate training.
- The force is unclear about what constitutes serious misconduct, with the bar set too high.
- There is racial discrimination in the conduct system, with black officers and staff 81% more likely than their white colleagues to have cases against them in 2021/22, while Asian officers were 55% more likely probabilities
- A rule, rule 13, which allows parolees to be removed from the force, is not being used correctly or fairly. Just 8% of cases in 2021/22 resulted in dismissal, with black officers 126% more likely to be subject to a regulation 13 case than whites, with Asian officers 123% more likely more likely
In a reply letter to Dame Louise, Sir Mark apologized for the force’s failings.
He said: “The evidence is clear: the disproportionate way in which you have shown us that black and Asian officers and staff have been treated shows patterns of unacceptable discrimination that clearly amount to systemic bias.
“The fact that allegations of racism or sexual misconduct and misogyny are less likely to be upheld is also completely unacceptable. Furthermore, it is clear that the Met’s systems and processes do not support the correct outcomes.
“Find painful experiences of those within our ranks who have suffered discrimination and hatred from their peers, only to have their pain compounded by a weak organizational response. This cannot continue.
“I am sorry for those we have let down – both the public and our honest and dedicated officers. The public deserve a better Met, and so do our good people who strive every day to make a positive difference to Londoners.”
A full report on culture within the Met will be published in the new year.
When the interim report was published, the Home Office announced a review of systems for sacking police officers, whether forces are using powers to sack probationary officers and whether regulations should be changed which regulates the disciplinary system.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “The public rightly expects the highest standards of behavior from police officers and the vast majority meet that expectation. But recently, too many high-profile incidents and reports, particularly in London, they have damaged trust, which is unfair to the public and lets down other officers on duty.
“This cannot continue. The culture and standards of policing must improve. And when an officer has fallen far short of those expectations, demonstrable public action must be taken.”
Chief Constable Andy Marsh, of the College of Policing’s professional standards body, said: “Baroness Casey’s review shines a shameful light on behavior which has eroded the foundations of our consent policing model.
“What has been found has no place in society, let alone in a police service where we should dedicate ourselves to helping the vulnerable.
“The report makes difficult reading, but it is vital that we hear what Baroness Casey has found, and I know that the Commissioner and the Met are committed to taking immediate action to address these issues.”
Khan said the situation at the Met was worse than he had feared.
He said: “It is clear that the Met’s misconduct system is simply not fit for purpose.
“I now hope that all the recommendations of this review will be fully and swiftly implemented.
“All allegations of misconduct must be acted upon, cases must be resolved much more quickly and the disproportionality in the way allegations are dealt with must be removed.
“Most of those who serve in the Met will be appalled by these latest findings and decent officers who want to speak out, who have clearly been let down for far too long, must be properly supported.”