Outside New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police’s headquarters on Victoria Embankment, the day is just beginning as hundreds of staff arrive for work. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is one of them, dropped off by his chauffeur near the iconic rotating sign and accompanied by close protection officers into a side entrance.
The enormity of not only running a £3.5 billion organisation, but entirely transforming it, is etched on his face. Scandal after scandal has hit the force, not just appalling crimes committed by officers, but also a toxic culture of sexism, racism and homophobia in the ranks uncovered by Baroness Casey in her searing review. The reputation of Britain’s largest police service is in tatters, and public trust is at an all-time low, a new City Hall survey suggests. Can the Met turn itself around?
