Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley expressed shock and anger at the tide of hatred faced by officers, saying they are now an “anvil on which society beats out its problems”.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark added rank-and-file confidence is being knocked by “an army of armchair commentators” dedicated to trials by social media, accusing them of being both “woke and fascists for the same actions”.
Sir Mark said: “This isn’t just a few one-off incidents, it is now a regular occurrence.
“Last week I spoke about how officers are increasingly getting caught in the middle of public debate and are starting to become direct targets for abuse and harassment, both online and in person.
“In the last 48 hours we’ve seen 12 officers injured including an officer struck on the head with a bottle and another stabbed in the hand. All for doing the job we ask of them.”
Britain’s most senior policeman said he was dismayed by an online torrent of sexism faced by a female Met officer on International Women’s Day “for having the temerity to post a photo of herself at a firearms outreach event”.
“I’m proud she is a Metropolitan Police officer,” he wrote on a LinkedIn post.
“But instead of this being a moment of celebration, the officer instead received a stream of abuse and considerable criticism for giving something new a go.
“I know to her great credit, she’ll be back to work this week and even more determined to be an outstanding role model.”
Sir Mark, who last month hit out at “horrendous sexist and homophobic” comments aimed at Commander Karen Findlay when it was announced she was joining British Transport Police, warned where abuse “crosses the line into criminality” the force will take action.
He said: “It is right that we are accountable, and we will continue to explain ourselves in reasoned discourse and debate. But I will always stand up for my officers when they are abused or used for point-scoring.”
Sir Mark praised hundreds of officers who policed a pro-Palestine march joined by singer Charlotte Church in central London calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Saturday.
Among five arrests, the Met had to deny Niyak Ghorbani, 37, an Iranian counter-protester, was handcuffed for holding a “Hamas is terrorist” placard.
Amid scuffles with three or four others around him, Mr Ghorbani was later de-arrested after a review. But a police spokesman said it had nothing to do with his sign, as suggested by some on X, formerly Twitter.
Sir Mark said: “The reality is that policing is complex, challenging and can look messy.
“We expect officers to arrive on scene quickly and act with limited information based on what they see.
“They don’t have the benefit of being able to watch a full incident unfold before deciding what to do, they have to be decisive and act quickly. And they do so in the glare of hundreds of people ready to film their every moment.”
He added: “There aren’t many professions where from the minute you arrive at an incident to the minute you leave, you are filmed and then critiqued by an army of armchair commentators. Yet this is what happens to our officers and they still come back to work the next day.
“I’m proud to call them my colleagues and am in awe of their resilience to continue to turning up day and night knowing that whenever they get out of a vehicle more and more cameras are focusing on their actions.
“But we shouldn’t underestimate the toll this has on them and their families, and how off-putting it is to the next generation who may think ‘Why would I put myself through that?’”
The Met has suffered severe reputational damage in recent years, including then-armed officer Wayne Couzens committing rape and murder in March 2021, and fellow marksman David Carrick being unmasked as a serial rapist.
This is one of the factors thought to be behind the force’s struggle to recruit officers, with numbers set to fall 1,400 short at the end of March, and 2,650 short by March 2025 at current application and recruitment levels.
