Police must get rid of ‘mouldy three per cent' of force that are tainting Met
Deputy council leader says top officers are working hard to win back trust
Thursday, 24th November 2022 — By Richard Osley
Pat Callaghan
CAMDEN’S deputy council leader said a “microcosm” of police officers in the Met had caused a loss of trust, but the majority of London’s police were working hard to earn it back.
Councillor Pat Callaghan was speaking at a Town Hall meeting on Monday at which she was asked about how police were responding to work to combat violence against women and girls, and the series of scandals relating to misogynistic behaviour within the ranks.
She said: “I think it’s very, very difficult when you put your trust in somebody to see how a certain microcosm of that community behave – and disgraceful doesn’t cover it. It’s absolutely appalling what they got up to.
“But there is a bigger majority who really want to work with the community, who really want to take forward the agenda of trust and transparency. They’re really trying, and these horrible episodes that have occurred have tainted all of them.’
The abduction and murder of Sarah Everard last year by a serving police officer was followed a run of internal scandals including an investigation into conduct by staff at Charing Cross police station.
Officers were found to have joked about rape and exchanged offensive social media messages. An inquiry had begun after an officer allegedly had sex with a vulnerable woman in a room inside a London police station, although this allegation was never proven.
Cllr Callaghan said at Monday’s meeting: “It’s very difficult, but we will keep on working with them to hope that they can drive out that mouldy, let’s say, one, two, three per cent.
“It could be a bit more because as time goes on, we’re uncovering more, but they really are trying and our borough commander is doing a lot and also the new commissioner is doing a hell of a lot to try and instil reassurance into us to start trusting them again, but they have to earn it obviously.”
Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick was effectively sacked by London Mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this year, and replaced by Sir Mark Rowley.
The new boss said this week that there were around 100 police officers not trusted to speak to the public as misconduct inquiries continue. Speaking to Radio 4, he said it was “perverse” that he did not have the power to sack those who were “letting us down”,
He said: “I have about 100 officers in the organisation who have very restrictive conditions on them because, frankly, we don’t trust them to talk to members of the public and it’s completely mad that I have to employ people like that as police officers who you can’t trust to have contact with the public. It is ridiculous.”
