Only about one-third of people view Met police positively, new survey reveals

THE majority of Londoners have a negative view of the Metropolitan Police Service, new polling has found, as the new commissioner looks to rebuild trust and confidence in the force, writes Joe Talora.

A new survey from the Centre for London thinktank and Savanta ComRes has found that just 36 per cent of those who were surveyed believed the Met

treats everyone fairly regardless of who they are, while 38 per cent said they thought the police make fair decisions when dealing with local problems.

While half of respondents said they believed the Met was effective at dealing with major crimes, just 35 per cent said the police could be relied upon to deal with “minor” crimes.

The figures are reflective of those revealed by the most recent public perception survey results published by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), which found that public trust and confidence in the Met had fallen to an all-time low in the wake of various scandals.

Earlier this month, former Met counter-terrorism lead Sir Mark Rowley was appointed as the new Met commissioner following Dame Cressida Dick’s resignation earlier this year.

Claire Harding, research director at Centre for London, said the new commissioner’s arrival “must become an opportunity to make amends and modernise London’s police”.

Harding said: “It’s not surprising that only a minority of Londoners view the police positively. But it highlights the scale of reform that we need to regain the public’s trust.

“More negative views of the Met among women and BAME Londoners show the huge damage that evidence of racism and misogyny within the force has done for their credibility.

“This is a tragedy in a city which takes pride in being safe, open and diverse.”

The Centre for London’s survey revealed large disparities in how different groups perceive the Met, with women, younger people, black and Asian Londoners less likely to agree that the police would treat them with respect compared to their older, white or male peers.

Though mayor Sadiq Khan has insisted that Sir Mark is “determined to be a reforming commissioner” and has put forward a “robust plan to rebuild trust and confidence in the police”, anti-racism campaigners have raised fears that he will offer “more of the same”.