Police officers to have names checked against national crime database after rapist cop admits years of sex crimes
18 January 2023, 12:26 | Updated: 18 January 2023, 17:44
Cops should be checked against the national police database to find out if any crooks have "slipped through the net" and are currently serving in Britain's forces after the David Carrick case.
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The rapist officer managed to stay employed in diplomatic protection as the Metropolitan Police apparently missed nine chances to catch him.
It has led to calls for forces to tighten up their recruitment and investigate whether they have any rotten cops on their books.
The National Police Chiefs' Council will ask all forces to vet their staff and Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the College of Policing should strengthen its code of practice for vetting employees.
She said: "David Carrick's sickening crimes are a stain on the police and he should never have been allowed to remain as an officer for so long.
"We are taking immediate steps to ensure predatory individuals are not only rooted out of the force, but that vetting and standards are strengthened to ensure they cannot join the police in the first place."
"Every day thousands of decent, hardworking police officers perform their duties with the utmost professionalism and I am sure they all share my disgust at his despicable betrayal of everything they stand for."
Carrick, 48, pleaded guilty to 49 charges, including 24 of rape, nine of sexual assault and three of false imprisonment on Monday. He was fired from the police on Tuesday.
On Monday the Met admitted failings in missing multiple opportunities to suspend Carrick, saying he was involved in nine separate police investigations before being detained in 2021.
Read more: Met police paid rapist cop David Carrick at least £60k while he was in custody
The Met apologised to victims after it came out that Carrick's attacks had come to their attention over nine incidents including allegations of rape, domestic violence, and harassment between 2000 and 2021.
Carrick, who was an armed PC in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection unit of the Met, used his position to lure women and then bully them into keeping quiet about his attacks over a 17-year period, police and prosecutors said.
In a meeting with Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Rishi Sunak said he "made clear to him - and he agrees - that the abuse of power that we have seen this week is absolutely despicable and it needs to be addressed immediately".
In the wake of Carrick's guilty plea, Sir Mark said the force would be 'ruthless' in review of 1,000 sexual and domestic abuse claims involving its officers, after cop admits multiple rapes.
The Metropolitan Police said 1,633 cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence involving 1,071 officers and other staff are being reviewed to ensure the appropriate decisions were made.
Carrick is likely to continue to receive £22,000 per year under Home Office rules once he comes out of prison, the Met said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to seek the forfeiture of the state-funded pension because his crimes were committed in connection with his job, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman reportedly backing the call.
A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) will pursue pension forfeiture in this case as it is clear that Pc Carrick committed offences in connection with his service as a member of a police force."
It is unclear whether Mr Khan has the powers to strip Carrick of all of his pension or whether the disgraced officer could still keep at least 35% that he contributed himself.
Home Office guidance says that pension forfeiture can only be applied for when an officer has a conviction "committed in connection with their service as a member of a police force" and the offence has been certified by the Home Secretary as "liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service" or "gravely injurious to the interests of the state".
Such applications are usually made after a police officer has committed a crime while on duty.
Scotland Yard is expected to submit a report to Mopac setting out Carrick's conviction and service with the force following his sentencing next month before an application is made to Ms Braverman.
However, court decisions have in the past determined an officer's pension can only be forfeited by up to 65% - the contributions that have been made by the police force, and not their own contributions.
Meanwhile Carrick is likely to have been paid at least around £60,000 while in police custody, following his arrest for rape in October 2021.
Due to the process around police misconduct hearings, he has continued to receive a full salary, despite being held in custody for more than a year. His pay was only stopped when he entered his first guilty pleas in December 2022.
