Message to the Met: sexual predators are still on your force, they're just lying low

London’s Metropolitan Police has admitted serious historical errors in vetting after a damning internal review exposed systemic failures in recruitment and background checks over the past decade - lapses that saw thousands of officers and staff join or remain in the force without proper scrutiny and, in some cases, later engage in criminal behaviour or misconduct.

- LEROY LOGAN

The report, covering recruitment practices up to April 2023, revealed that, amid pressure to meet national recruitment targets, essential checks on references and security clearances were reduced or skipped entirely, previous vetting refusals were overturned and warning signs were missed.

Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams said the force was being open and transparent about past shortcomings, while insisting that strengthened standards are now in place. Since 2022, more than 1,500 officers and staff have been removed from the service. And Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, has ordered an independent inspection of vetting procedures as critics warn the lapses risk public safety and erode trust in Britain's largest police force.

That said, I cannot overestimate the importance of a police officer's role in a democratic society. As the front-facing executive of the criminal justice system, an officer's powers to detain, stop and search, and/or arrest a person in the execution of their duties can have life-changing consequences for the individual on the receiving end.

I'll stick my neck out and say that most people who join the police service do so with the intention of becoming professional public servants, rather than being motivated by the control and power aspects of the role. Unfortunately, some are drawn to policing primarily for those latter reasons, with the public-service ethos treated as secondary or even irrelevant.

That is why a credible, efficient and effective selection and vetting process is essential. Applicants must be selected purely on merit, supported by rigorous background checks, so that the very best from a high-calibre talent pool progress to exemplary training and development. While the probationary period is intensive, on-the-job learning does not end there; it continues throughout an officer's tenure of service, regardless of rank or specialism.