Met Police: Nearly 15,000 allegations made against officers and staff - report

Nearly 15,000 allegations were made about Met Police officers and staff last year, it has emerged.

They include allegations of racism, harassment, sexism and homophobia as well as sexual assault and excessive use of force.

Six in 10 referred to the Met's "delivery of duties and service".

The Met said the "vast majority" of complaints related to low-level conduct however it was "determined to root out those who corrupt" the force.

The data comes as serious questions have been raised over vetting, disciplinary and dismissal procedures within the force.

They were released following a written question to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, by London Assembly member Unmesh Desai.

The 14,673 allegations were made from 10,200 complaints filed between 1 January and 9 December 2022.

Almost 1,000 related to individual officer actions ranging from "overbearing or harassing behaviours" to "unprofessional attitude and disrespect" and "impolite language/tone".

There were 829 allegations for "use of force", 398 for "discriminatory actions", including 286 claims of racial discrimination and 34 allegations regarding "sexual conduct".

Mr Desai, Labour's Policing and Crime member, called for action to dispel the "growing distrust" in the Met.

"Complaints need to be better handled; what constitutes misconduct and gross-misconduct must be reassessed and changes made regarding suspension and dismissal for the most serious allegations," he said.

"Trust must be restored."

He called on the government to urgently introduce new Police Conduct Regulations.

"It is vital the police leadership have the powers needed to ensure that the system is effective in removing officers who are not fit to serve," he said. 

This month the Met faced revelations about serving and former officers, including PC David Carrick, who pleaded guilty to 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said in response that all 45,000 officers and staff would be rechecked for previously missed offending.

He has also raised concerns about dismissal procedures within the force.

Of the 1,809 Met staff who faced misconduct charges since 2013, 13 were dismissed.

At the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee on 25 January, Sir Mark revealed two to three criminal cases against officers were expected to go to court every week in the coming months.

A spokesperson for the Met said: "The vast majority of complaints received relate to low-level conduct issues which can be resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant without formal misconduct action being taken. However, we are aware some allegations do relate to serious offending.

"We are determined not only to root out those who corrupt the Met, but to do everything we can to ensure people have more confidence to report issues of misconduct and to know that when they come forward, action will be taken."

In November, the force set up an Anti-Corruption and Abuse Hotline managed by independent charity Crimestoppers, the first of its kind.

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