Met Police's corrupt police officer hotline is rolled out nationally

An anti-corruption hotline to report corruption in the Metropolitan Police is being launched nationwide.

The service, run by Crimestoppers, was launched for the force in November 2022 and has seen almost 3,000 online reports and calls regarding the force.

It is used to report officers and staff for corruption, abuse and other breaches of trust or power.

The chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council said it would enable them to "take action".

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said: "We must take tough action to purge policing of those responsible for wrongdoing, for now and for the future."

The hotline was launched following a series of scandals including strip-searching children, the murder of Sarah Everard, and the sharing of pictures of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman after they were killed.

It has resulted in 728 Met Police-led investigations.

Det Ch Sup Andy Day, from the Met's Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said: "Its success has been a very positive step for our communities in London and we are pleased that all the other forces have decided to adopt it and we will see a national roll out."

"It's vital that the public know there are clear systems in place where appalling behaviours will be challenged and addressed robustly and that those within policing know they can trust their colleagues."

The national launch of this scheme will be seized on by the Met Police as evidence of success in their approach to root out corrupt and abusive officers and win back the trust of Londoners following a series of scandals.

They'll also point to the hundreds of reports they've received as proof both that they are being pro-active in tackling the problem, and that the public appears to have confidence that allegations will be investigated.

The commissioner has previously said there are "hundreds" of officers who should not be serving, and warned of the "painful" process ahead, with frequent headlines about those appearing before criminal courts and misconduct tribunals.

But campaigners will want to know how many rogue officers identified through the hotline are actually sacked, how swiftly this takes place, and will want vetting to be tightened to prevent such people getting into policing in the first place.

Donna Jones, chairwoman of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: "This service provides an opportunity for the public to report their concerns about individuals, and for policing to root out more of those not fit to serve and who impugn the characters of the overwhelming majority of officers committed to protecting us."

Information received will be passed to a team who will assess it and, where necessary, given to detectives to begin an investigation.

Allegations can be made anonymously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week online or to the freephone number 0800 085 0000.

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