The pressure on Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick intensified today, as Sadiq Khan revealed that the time she has to turn things around could be measured in “days and weeks”.
The Met’s woes are well-documented, and it now faces two separate investigations. The first, an independent review led by Baroness Casey, will consider the force’s culture and standards, following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer. The second, chaired by Dame Elish Angiolini QC, will scrutinise the Everard case as well as wider issues facing policing.
These investigations are welcome and necessary. Yet, we already know that in sections of the Met Police there is a culture of sexism, racism, homophobia and bullying. These were the findings of the Independent Office for Police Complaints review into the behaviour at Charing Cross Police Station. And the “few bad apples” defence will not stand up in court.
While the Mayor is right to show urgency, he and the Home Secretary also share some responsibility for the state of policing in the capital.
Londoners need to see a change in police culture now, with trust in the Met severely damaged over the past year. Indeed, a YouGov poll for the End Violence Against Women Coalition found that 47 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men reported declining trust in the police after the Everard case.
Policing in the capital relies on the widespread trust of Londoners, and the position of Met Commissioner requires the full-throated support of the Mayor. To secure both, the Met must change — and fast.
