Extent of rot in ranks is what shocks OPINION

WHAT was shocking about Baroness Casey’s report was not simply individual scandals but the combined failure across so much of the service.

We already knew of some of failings but most worrying was the scale of the problem.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley had already started clearing out those who were known to be unfit to serve. But his task now is twofold.

Firstly, to empower the good.

And secondly, to systematically rid the service of corrosive individuals who are not just bad apples but something far more insidious.

Those who are responsible for recruiting, vetting, training and then supervising must have ethical standards and a commitment to openness and honesty.

Commitment

The Met Commissioner and chief constables across the country must balance transparency about the issues with maintaining moral standards and sending positive messages to attract men and women committed to delivering top-quality service.

Keir Starmer’s commitment to protecting women can only be achieved if we not only have the right people with the right attitude in place, but, frankly, if we recruit many more women into the police.

It is a tough job but it requires brains, not brawn. It requires a commitment to care about victims of crime, the resilience to keep going when, day after day, you see the worst of human nature. Above all, it requires people who are prepared and able at every level of the service to learn management skills.

It requires those expected to detect criminality in the community to detect wrongdoing in their own service. In other words, to build on the best we have – those who will earn the respect of both the public and their colleagues.

So much has been said about what needs to be done. The very real and difficult challenge is to now put those steps in place and rebuild trust.