'Serious concerns' as new report finds Met Police failing in several key areas: 'It must get better'

22 September 2022, 00:38 | Updated: 22 September 2022, 00:43

"Serious concerns" about the performance of the Met have been raised after an inspection found it to be "failing" in several areas.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said Scotland Yard must make urgent improvements after its findings were published.

It is another job in the considerable in-tray of Sir Mark Rowley, the new commissioner who has been in the role for a matter of days.

HMICFRS said the force is inadequate in the way it responds to the public, while finding it required improvement in investigating crime, protecting vulnerable people, managing offenders, developing a positive workplace and making a good use of resources.

The force was judged as adequate in two areas of its police work and good in just one other part.

It comes three months after the force was put into special measures.

Former Met Detective Superintendent's response to the new commissioner

Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said: "The Met must get better at how it responds to the public - currently, its call handling teams are unable to answer calls quickly enough. In addition, it isn't correctly documenting the decisions of victims to withdraw from an investigation or to accept an out-of-court disposal.

"Recording victims' wishes is vital to support the criminal justice process and to understand what is stopping victims from being able to complete the investigation process. The Met must improve in this area."

Mr Parr said the report raised "serious concerns" and went on: "Investigations are not always reviewed or overseen properly. There's an unfair allocation of work, which puts undue pressure on some staff. The force needs to properly understand demand to ensure it is allocating its staff and resources effectively."

The HMICFRS report said: "We found that the high proportion of inexperienced staff and a lack of experienced tutors for detectives meant that supervisors were often teaching staff how to investigate crime rather than supervising them."

Mr Parr stressed the Met "operates under scrutiny other forces do not face", and praised how it policed the aftermath of the Queen's death and also dealing with an incident where two officers were stabbed.

The findings also said the Met is "good at preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, and has developed innovative techniques to improve how it collects evidence and identifies offenders, such as its new forensic technique for detecting the presence of blood on dark clothing and its new rapid testing kit for drink spiking".

The force will continue to face enhanced monitoring by HMICFRS as part of the special measures.

The Met said the new commissioner had made it "very clear" the force needs to improve and has a plan.

Read more: New Met Police commissioner 'must get rid of a quarter of top officers', says report

New deputy commissioner Dame Lynne Owens said: "We will be using data and insight to improve the Met's performance on crime fighting and prevention.

"We want to remove as many hurdles as possible to make it easier for hardworking officers to fight crime, deliver justice and support victims."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The findings in this report are deeply concerning. The people of London expect better and the Met must work to implement the necessary improvements as a matter of urgency.

"Earlier this month the Home Secretary met with Sir Mark Rowley and was reassured by his immediate plans to address these issues and restore the public's trust in policing.

"The Met, as the country's largest force, shoulders immense responsibility and recently played a critical role during the national period of mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It is essential that the professionalism shown over the past few weeks is replicated in all they do to keep the public safe."

Sir Mark's early tenure – having taken over from Dame Cressida Dick, who quit after losing Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's confidence - began after the force came under fire for a raft of scandals.

There has been outrage over racist, sexist and homophobic messages shared by a group of officers at Charing Cross police station between 2016 and 2018.

Questions have been raised over the force's approach to tackling corruption and its use of stop and search as well as ongoing investigations into deaths following police contact.

On Wednesday, two Met police officers were found guilty of sending grossly offensive misogynistic and racist messages in a WhatsApp group with Sarah Everard's killer.

Two separate reviews into the Met are taking place and HMICFRS is also reviewing vetting procedures used by all forces in England and Wales following Ms Everard’s killing.

There is also considerable anger over the shooting of Chris Kaba in South London.