CRIMINAL COPS
150 Met officers serving despite being convicted
THERE are 150 convicted criminals in Britain’s biggest police force.
Offences committed by officers in London’s Metropolitan Police relate to assault, damage, drugs and firearms.
Scotland Yard would not say how many were carried out before officers were hired, and how many while they were in service.
But critics say our findings undermine the integrity of law enforcers.
David Spencer, research director at the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: “With the reputation of the Met in the doldrums, these figures couldn’t come at a worse time. It does beg the question of how we can expect people to respect the police as law enforcers when so many have broken the law. The Met has serious questions to answer about how many were committed by serving officers and how many were recruited despite having a record.”
We uncovered the convictions using freedom of information laws.
In 2017 a Met officer was allowed to keep his job after being cautioned for attacking a man while off duty.
Other crimes included theft, public order offences, drink driving, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.
Met bosses said before hiring a candidate with a conviction they considered “the age of the applicant at the time, the years that have elapsed and the nature of the offence”.
Scotland Yard said: “As we would all expect, the vast majority of officers uphold the law at all times.
“When a serving officer is convicted, the case is thoroughly reviewed and, where appropriate, the officer is also subjected to a misconduct process to determine their ongoing future with the police.
“The overwhelming majority of those convicted leave the service. The Met recognises that its staff must act with professionalism and integrity whether on or off-duty.”