The Metropolitan Police must learn from the “appalling mistakes of the past”, the Home Secretary has said in a letter to new commissioner Sir Mark Rowley. It was announced in July that the former counter-terrorism policing chief would replace Dame Cressida Dick following her resignation, and in the letter Priti Patel refers to the need to restore “trust and confidence”.
In the three-page letter, dated September 2, Ms Patel references a host of recent controversies and failings as she stresses the need for a “transformation” of the Met. She writes: “Several recent high-profile incidents have affected public trust and confidence across communities particularly in London - raising serious questions about the culture and standards in the MPS.
“These include Sarah Everard’s murder, strip searches of children, the vetting of police officers, basic respect and standards as exposed in the misconduct at Charing Cross police station in Operation Hotton, and the findings of the inquest into the handling of the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor. Londoners need to be assured that improvements are being made immediately and will have an impact.
