Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said policing “must change”
(Picture: PA Wire)The Met Police’s culture is discouraging officers from “challenging their boss”, the head of the country’s anti-sleaze watchdog warned on Tuesday.
The intervention from Lord Jonathan Evans, chair of the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life, came as the force’s commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, battles to restore its reputation after a series of scandals.
Lord Evans described the failings in the case of disgraced Pc David Carrick, who admitted multiple counts of rape, as “utterly awful” and “shocking”, adding that it underlined the Met’s major “cultural challenges”.
“I sometimes have felt that the traditional, quite hierarchical command model of policing has not made it easy to speak up,” said Lord Evans, a former director-general of MI5. “There is a sort of cultural inhibition about challenging your boss because that won’t necessarily go well, and I’m not sure that’s helpful.”
Following a near year-long inquiry, which included talking to chiefs at the Met and at other police forces, the standards committee today published a report calling for strong ethical values to be “woven into every aspect” of the way government bodies and other public organisations operate.
The committee said that while a “robust ethical culture” should be integral to the way organisations operate, too often it takes a crisis for leaders to act.
Following the storm over Carrick’s crimes, Sir Mark has announced nine mission goals he believes will deliver change and transformation in the beleaguered force within two years.
Armed officer Carrick, 48, admitted 49 criminal charges as it emerged he had faced complaints about his behaviour before he joined the force 22 years ago and numerous other times throughout his career but no action was taken.
The Met is also facing questions over how Pc Wayne Couzens, who was nicknamed “The Rapist” by former colleagues, was able to kidnap, rape and murder Sarah Everard in March 2021.
The force was again left reeling last year after a report uncovered bullying, discrimination, racist and sexist behaviour at Charing Cross police station.
Lord Evans said Sir Mark “has done exactly the right thing... he’s not been trying to defend them at all. He’s been saying; ‘look, we absolutely realise that this is an appalling situation, that it does undermine trust’.
“But it won’t be quick. It’s a big organisation, it takes time and it’s not something which you can turn around in a few months but you’ve got a leader there who is absolutely nailing his colours to the wall.”
Lord Evans also said the political turmoil caused by the partygate scandal and Owen Paterson sleaze storm could have been averted if leaders had paid more attention to standards issues.
Dr Ian Peters, Director of the Institute of Business Ethics which contributed to the report, said: “There is simply no excuse for any organisation having a culture that stops people speaking up, out of fear or lack of confidence in the system. This only encourages poor practice and unacceptable behaviour.
“The tone is set from the top, but leaders fail in their responsibilities if managers in the organisation are not trained and empowered to maintain an ethical culture and prevent toxic behaviour.
“Senior leaders are the guardians of an organisation’s culture, and I welcome today’s report underlining the responsibilities they have in tackling unacceptable behaviour within public sector organisations.”
