The Metropolitan Police are under fire after an official investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) revealed details of officers exchanging discriminatory and misogynistic messages. These included discussions about hitting and raping women, with reference to specific female colleagues, which officers involved dismissed as “banter”.
The report comes at a time of intense focus on how women are treated by police and within their ranks. This was ignited in March 2021, when serving Met officer Wayne Couzens kidnapped, raped and murdered 33-year-old Sarah Everard. The subsequent vigil in London, which was attended by thousands of women, ended in arrests and allegations of “heavy-handed” policing on the part of the Met. Coupled with this, charges for rape and serious sexual offences are at an all-time low. There is mounting evidence to suggest that misogynistic attitudes are infecting policing and affecting the treatment women receive at the hands of officers.
Many have blamed the informal working culture said to exist within the Met, colloquially known as “cop culture”. This concept emerged from policing research in the 1960s and is often identified as a contributing factor to bad police behaviour.
