There are still inherent problems with the culture of the Metropolitan Police, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has written in a foreword to the Government response to the Report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, published in June 2021.
She said of the Met: “It has sometimes behaved in ways that make it appear untroubled by the risk of corruption. It is vital that MOPAC works closely with the Commissioner to respond to the November 2022 HMICFRS [His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary] report and swiftly embed the recommendations of the Panel, and also to improve the culture and behaviour standards of officers.
“I expect the Metropolitan Police to clearly demonstrate that it will learn from the appalling mistakes of the past and move its culture away from the organisational defensiveness that has hindered progress and so damaged public trust. I will ensure that the Metropolitan Police Service has all the support it needs from central Government to deliver on Sir Mark Rowley’s pledge of more trust, less crime and high standards, and I have every confidence that Sir Mark and his team will deliver.”
In its response, the Government noted that the Panel recommended licensing for private investigators, after the Panel found ‘evidence of corruption in the linkages between serving police officers and private investigators’. The Government responded: “The government notes the positive steps the private investigator industry is taking towards raising standards through the progress of the Association of British Investigators’ draft Code of Conduct. In light of this progress we will keep under review the need to extend regulation to introduce a new regime.”
The response document recalled that a March 2022 report by the official police inspectorate HMICFRS stated that the force’s procedures for rooting out corrupt officers and staff were ‘fundamentally flawed’ and ‘not fit for purpose’. The Met set up a Counter Corruption Learning Group in April 2022 to provide oversight in responding to HMICFRS’s recommendations. The deadline for these recommendations was March 2023. The Met have provided the Home Secretary an update to demonstrate that all recommendations have been accepted, however not all recommendations have been met by the deadline set by the inspectorate, the Government response document stated.
In November 2022, the Met Police launched a public-facing hotline asking for reports of officers or staff abusing their position of trust. The Met partnered with Crimestoppers to reassure those who may be hesitant to report abuse by the police to the police. The MPS reported in April that it has had over 1,000 people contact this service, resulting in 350 reports that the force is responding to – including new investigations, intelligence-led drug testing, and the development of intelligence. The NPCC (National Police Chiefs Council) is exploring whether a similar service could be offered nationally, to enable members of the public in all England and Wales to raise any concerns about their local force in confidence.
A November 2022 HMICFRS inspection report examined vetting, misconduct, misogyny, and counter-corruption procedures on a thematic basis across seven forces (including the Met). It concluded that on too many occasions, vetting processes fell short of the expected standards, enabling what it called the ‘wrong people’ to enter the police workforce.
In April, the Met Commissioner announced that all, about 50,000, officers and staff have been searched against the Police National Database, and all serving officers have been searched against the Police National Computer. However, ensuring the Met’s post holders are vetted to the correct standard for designated posts is ‘still ongoing’, the Government response admitted.
The Panel also had ‘highlighted weaknesses both in terms of how records are stored, but also how officers treated and shared information’, and wider police defensiveness. The Government response concluded that the Met and policing ‘need to continue to improve as learning organisations’.
Meanwhile HMICFRS has published reports on the effectiveness of vetting arrangements in eight police forces. For example, in the City of London force, inspectors found that in April 2021, the City of London Police’s force vetting unit (FVU) introduced an IT system to manage vetting, shared with British Transport Police. “The City of London Police is in the process of transferring data to the new system. However, the FVU [vetting unit] still needs to access the vetting records on the older system.”
The inspection found that the City force’s vetting unit ‘doesn’t have enough staff to cope with current demand, including vetting renewals or conducting MV [management vetting] for those moving to designated posts’ (who may have access to more sensitive information). In September 2022, the inspectors heard, the force prioritised other work than vetting renewals, namely ‘clearances related to the Police Uplift Programme and the force’s responsibility for vetting the call handlers working at the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime’.
