Predatory officers are not confined to the Metropolitan Police and every force in the UK must now get its “house in order”, former home secretary Priti Patel has said.
She spoke to The Independent after a damning review said predators had been “allowed to flourish” in Britain’s largest force, and found it was institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.
The Casey review was commissioned following the murder of Sarah Everard by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, while Ms Patel also triggered a public inquiry and national review of vetting, misconduct and misogyny.
“Quite frankly, we have known this stuff has been going on since the murder of Sarah Everard and this is why this was commissioned,” the former home secretary said.
“Everyone will say they are disgusted, but we have to move on from that and start rebuilding the Met Police and restore public trust and confidence.”
Ms Patel said that while the Casey review only covered Scotland Yard, and that focus had been driven by horrific crimes by Met officers Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, the issues are wider.
She added: “We can’t overlook the fact that other police forces have similar issues in terms of predatory behaviour, and this is now a moment for everyone across policing to have a good hard look and get every single house in order.”
Recent months have seen numerous officers from forces outside London sacked for domestic abuse and using their position to pursue exploitative relationships with female victims of crime.
A smaller number, including officers in Greater Manchester Police and Devon and Cornwall Police, have been arrested on suspicion of rape and their cases are ongoing.
Baroness Casey made several national recommendations, including changes to allow force to reopen closed misconduct cases and changes to wider misconduct processes, under-performance regulations and the promotion framework.
“We have not examined other police forces’ standards and culture and compared these with the Met’s,” the report said. “It is for others to determine the extent to which our findings are relevant to other forces.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said it would be considering the findings and their “implications beyond London”.
Chair Martin Hewitt said: “We want a police service that is anti-misogynistic, anti-homophobic and anti-discrimination of any kind.
“The review reinforces once again the urgency of our current mission across policing to lift the stones and root corrupt individuals and unacceptable behaviour out of policing, alongside delivering the long-term, sustainable improvements to standards, vetting and misconduct processes we have promised. We expect to be judged on the results the public and our people see.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct warned that there needed to be “fundamental reform to policing as a whole”, not just in the Metropolitan Police.
Interim director general Tom Whiting said: “We will work with police and others to identify how the system can be reformed and what needs to be done to make it happen.”
The College of Policing, which governs training and standards, said it was working to standardise practices to “embed professionalism, respect and inclusion” and consulting on a new code of ethics.
Chief executive Andy Marsh added: “Baroness Casey has called out the failings in leadership across the Met, but the College’s work to overhaul leadership must now be implemented in every force.”
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, said the government was driving forward work to “improve culture, standards and behaviour across policing, including strengthening vetting and reviewing the dismissals process”.
