A Freedom of Information request found 129 male officers and 18 female officers had faced domestic abuse allegations in the past two years (Nick Potts/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Almost 150 Metropolitan Police officers have been accused of domestic violence against their spouses or partners in the last two years, an Evening Standard investigation has revealed.
A Freedom of Information request found 129 male officers and 18 female officers had faced domestic abuse allegations — but just eight per cent were charged. This amounts to more than one woman a week coming forward in London to report that their husband or partner, a serving officer in the Met, has been seriously abusing them.
Only 11 of the 129 accused male officers were charged and just one of the female officers. None of the remaining officers were cautioned.
Women’s rights groups described the figures as “extremely concerning” and claimed it amounted to “yet more evidence of the Met’s institutional misogyny”.
The investigation highlights the scale of the challenge facing Dame Cressida Dick’s successor as Met Commissioner. She stepped down amid severe criticism after the publication of a report last week which found evidence of misogyny, racism, harassment, homophobia and bullying within the Met’s ranks.
Last May, the Centre for Women’s Justice reported that 129 women nationwide had approached them with claims of being raped, beaten and coerced by their police officer spouses and partners in the previous two years.
One officer a week is reported for abuse but the true figure is higher
Some victims claimed their complaints had not been properly investigated, blaming a “boys’ club” culture of cover-ups and closing ranks that made survivors feel they were being silenced. However, fewer than 10 of these alleged perpetrators were based in London.
Harriet Wistrich, director of the Centre for Women’s Justice, said the Standard’s data — which covers the two years to September 30 — exposed the scale of the problem in the Met.
She said: “The figures are extremely concerning and together with other evidence emerging of a culture of misogyny in the Met are grounds for making transformational change from the leadership down to tackle this completely unacceptable problem.”
Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “These alarming figures provide yet more evidence of the Met’s institutional misogyny. One officer a week is reported for domestic abuse, but we know the true figure is higher as women face barriers to reporting.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for the Met and that includes when our own officers are accused of offences.”
