The Metropolitan Police has dramatically been taken out of special measures - two-and-a-half years after a slew of scandals and “persistent concerns” about its performance were exposed, a watchdog announced.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary acted in June 2022 following Sarah Everard’s murder by a serving officer and failures in an investigation into serial killer Stephen Port resulted in a “chilling effect” on public confidence. Systemic problems included a failure to log 69,000 crimes.
The turnaround under Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley is remarkable given that in August last year HM Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman graded the force “inadequate” or “requires improvement” across seven out of eight areas, including managing the risks posed by registered sex offenders and online child abusers.
On Thursday, Met Commissioner Sir Mark said exit from the watchdog’s enhanced monitoring process called Engage is “welcome recognition that we are on the right path to deliver on our promise to Londoners”.
Over 100 recommendations have been addressed. Improvements are recognised in areas including call handling, child exploitation, public protection, culture and counter-corruption.
Sir Mark added: “The progress we have made over the last two-and-a-half years would not have been possible without the unwavering passion, sense of duty, courage and hard work of our officers and staff in the face of some incredibly challenging circumstances.
“The whole of the Met has worked to fix our broken foundations and make sure our officers are set up to deliver for London.
“Their achievement is all the more extraordinary in a budget constrained, shrinking Met which is facing increased demand.”
At City Hall, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan was set to welcome “significant improvement” on performance and transforming culture but indicate there is more to do.
Writing for The Standard, Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens said: “Today’s news should though give communities encouragement. Our people have always been prepared to step forward into difficult situations, and now find themselves on a firmer footing to drive us – the Metropolitan Police – to be the best we can be.”
In 2022, former Met boss Dame Cressida Dick was forced to step down when Sir Sadiq expressed displeasure at her handling of racist, misogynist and homophobic messages shared by a group of officers based at Charing Cross police station.
It came on top of a review by Baroness Louise Casey that found the Met to be institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic after 33-year-old Ms Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by PC Couzens in March 2021.
Lady Elish Angiolini discovered a series of red flags were missed about Couzens who should never have been given a job with a history of offending dating back nearly 20 years.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “In London and across the country, communities rightly expect the highest standards from their local force.
“While the scale of the challenge is clear, and there have been many problems to deal with, the commitment and progress made by the Met Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, officers and staff across the capital in raising standards is extremely important, and reflects the hard work and dedication of all those involved.
“Everyone recognises that there is still more work that must be done to improve performance and restore public confidence, and I will continue to work closely with the Commissioner and the Mayor to ensure this is just the first step in a long-term mission to improve the Metropolitan Police and keep people safe across London.”
Sir Sadiq added: “I welcome His Majesty’s Inspectorate confirming that significant improvements are being made by the Met Police on both improved performance and transforming culture.
“This is down to the hard work of the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Met officers and staff, who are rebuilding public confidence and trust in the force, as well as record investment and support from City Hall. Emergency calls are now being answered faster, vetting is being strengthened and neighbourhood policing is being revitalised.
“Having asked the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to look in particular at concerns around child sexual exploitation, it’s reassuring that the Met Police have made significant improvements in this area, including around missing children and victim blaming language.
“There’s still more to do, and as Mayor, I’ll continue to work with the Commissioner to ensure we drive through the further improvements needed as we build a safer London for everyone.”
The Met said the force is responding more quickly to emergencies and Londoners get help when they need it most.
Around 86.2 per cent of 999 calls are answered within 10 seconds, compared with 77.6 per cent in 2024. In January, it reached 90.9 per cent.
About 8,000 officers have been trained in the identification of child exploitation.
Hundreds more were deployed to domestic assault and sexual violence teams to protect women and girls.
A new neighbourhood policing model is bolstered by an additional 500 staff ranging from superintendents to community support officers.
More than 100 so-called bad apple officers. who do not meet the Met’s high standards, have been sacked and proactive work to identify around 300 potential criminals in uniform is being stepped up.
