There were a staggering 421 cases of complaints and conduct matters involving allegations of Metropolitan Police staff committing sexual offences or domestic abuse last year. Of these sexual assault was the most common category – involved in 218 of the allegations against staff in public complaints and conduct matters.
Complaints around sexual offences and domestic abuse have increased significantly since 2010, according to data released from the Met Police in a Freedom of Information request. There were 174 cases of sexual offence and domestic abuse allegations in the Met in 2010, including complaints and conduct matters – compared with 421 last year.
Despite this increase in cases, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases being referred to the Independent Office for Police Misconduct. Last year, 225 cases of sexual offences and domestic abuse in conduct matters and public complaints were referred to the IOPC. The data shows that a mere 56 cases were referred to the IOPC in 2010.
Male Metropolitan Police staff still make up the overwhelming majority of staff being faced with allegations of domestic abuse and sexual offences. Last year, they made up around 73% of staff involved in allegations, while female staff made up around 13%.
Confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service remains low, with only 34.6% of Londoners saying they trust the force. High-profile cases such as the murder of Sarah Everard by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens and the jailing of prolific sexual offender and Met officer David Carrick has only fuelled this feeling of mistrust in the public.
Programmes such as the New Met for London have aimed to address some of the force’s systematic issues. With a catchphrase of ‘More Trust, Less Crime, High Standards’, the plan aimed to see those falling short of the Met’s standards being dealt with “swiftly and robustly.”
The force was removed from special measures under His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services at the beginning of this year. The news represented a symbolic success for the force and its commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, after being placed in the special measures, officially known as engage, in June 2022.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “As part of our New Met for London plan, we have been very clear we expect our officers and staff to uphold the highest of standards.
“As we seek to rid the organisation of those not fit to serve we have actively encouraged reporting, including through the launch of an anti-corruption hotline in partnership with Crimestoppers, which has now been rolled out nationally.
“This increase in reporting, as well as proactive work by our professional standards team, has seen increases in allegations made, as well as the number of officers then going on to face disciplinary proceedings.
“We are working extremely hard to build an environment and culture where the public and colleagues feel empowered to report concerns and know that those concerns will be addressed and dealt with accordingly.
”This allows the vast majority of our officers and staff to focus on the work they carry out every day with professionalism and integrity to keep London safe.”
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