Bullying, sexism, homophobia – heavy report on the London police

Deep-seated hatred of homosexuals, institutional racism and widespread misogyny: a new investigative report has ruthlessly exposed a violent culture within London’s police force. The Metropolitan Police (Met) has failed to protect women in uniform from sex offenders, said Louise Casey, who was hired to write the report. “It is not our job as a public to protect ourselves from the police. It is the job of the police to protect us citizens,” said Casey, an independent member of the House of Lords. “Far too many Londoners have lost faith in the police.”

The Met hasn’t come out of the crisis in years. Sarah Everard’s case is symbolic. The fact that a police officer kidnapped the 33-year-old using his service ID in March 2021 and then raped and murdered him shook the reputation of the bobbies – the British security police’s friendly nickname that tourists like to pose with. But even after the perpetrator was sentenced to life imprisonment, new scandals kept coming to light. As recently as February, an officer serving in the same unit as the Everard killer was sentenced to decades in prison for repeatedly raping and abusing a dozen women over a nearly 20-year period.

Deeply rooted sexism and homophobia

The murderer and the uniformed serial rapist are by no means isolated cases, as Enlightener Casey made clear. When asked if there could be more criminal officials at the Met, the former government official replied, “I can’t assure you enough that there aren’t.”

It was only announced on Monday that more than 100 police officers who are being investigated for sexual misconduct are on regular duty. Casey’s 363-page report makes it clear that violence against women and girls was not taken as seriously as other forms of violence – bullying was also prevalent at the Met.

“Officers and female employees routinely encounter sexism and misogyny,” it read. “The Met has failed to protect its female employees or members of the public from police perpetrators who use domestic violence or those who abuse their position for sexual gain.”

But that’s only part of the painful truth. The agency is also institutionally racist, Casey stressed. This means that the situation has hardly changed since an investigation in 1999. After all, there’s a “deep-rooted homophobia” at the Met, Casey said. Her report was “drastic, stern and unforgiving”.

Desolate working conditions

Hard to imagine working conditions being added to the sexist, racist and homophobic culture. Officials should store their evidence in “overcrowded, dilapidated or broken refrigerators and freezers”. Some devices are so full that they have to be strapped in. In one case, a lunch box was found in the same refrigerator as a sample from a rape case. In another, a refrigerator broke, rendering evidence stored there useless. Most of the workforce is overworked and inexperienced.

In the case of domestic violence in particular, the number of cases is unmanageable and victims are not sufficiently supported, it is said. “That has exacerbated the disconnection of Londoners.” The residents of the British capital are the ones suffering. A research report by the regulator HMICFRS came to similar conclusions in the autumn. Accordingly, the detection rate for rapes and burglaries is abysmal, but the number of criminals in uniform is high. Recruitment is insufficiently controlled – probably also because, after a radical wave of cuts, recruitment has started again on a large scale in recent years.

London’s Chief Police Officer, Mark Rowley, who has been in charge of the Met for six months, is now more responsible than ever. Since taking office, the Commissioner has made it clear that he will crack down on corrupt and violent police officers. He wouldn’t be surprised if two to three officers go to court every week, Rowley said in January.

With the latest report, the Met is finally being scrutinized and beforehand there was talk of a “last chance”. Now Casey called for a “complete overhaul” of the authority. The bottom line is, if the troops don’t reform, they are threatened with disbandment. (cpf/sda/dpa)