Four Met police officers and staff member face being disciplined over investigation into serial rapist David Carrick
30 September 2024, 12:14
Four Metropolitan police officers and a staff member are facing disciplinary proceedings over claims they failed to progress investigations into serial rapist policeman David Carrick.
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Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) carried out four independent investigations into the actions taken by Met after allegations were made against Carrick over a 19-year period while he was an officer.
Four reports of serious offending were made against Carrick between 2002 and 2021. He was finally arrested in October 2021 and jailed in February 2023.
A detective sergeant will face a gross misconduct hearing and a further three officers and a staff member should face misconduct meetings for alleged breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour, all relating to failing to progress misconduct investigations against Carrick.
Those facing disciplinary proceedings all worked in the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) at the time.
Two more former officers would have faced disciplinary proceedings if they had still worked on the force.
Carrick was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years in jail, meaning he will not be eligible for parole until the age of 78.
He pleaded guilty to a total of 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape against a dozen women.
He joined the force in 2001 before becoming an armed officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit in 2009, which requires one of the highest security clearances for an officer.
David Carrick should not have been a police officer, says Met commissioner
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “Our thoughts continue to be with all of the women who were victims of this serial predator.
“Our investigations into alleged failures to investigate reports made against David Carrick were comprehensive and identified several missed opportunities to pursue misconduct investigations against him.
In all cases we identified that officers failed to properly explore, investigate or oversee the misconduct investigations against Carrick, who never faced any disciplinary proceedings despite being the subject of serious criminal allegations on multiple occasions.
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“Had these matters been progressed appropriately, Carrick may have potentially faced gross misconduct proceedings and been dismissed from the force well before he was eventually arrested.
“Four officers and a member of police staff will now face disciplinary proceedings, including one officer who will face a gross misconduct hearing, while two more former officers would have faced disciplinary meetings had they not retired from the force.”
