Met chief warns officers ‘enough is enough’
Head of Scotland Yard tells her 43,000 staff that the police force is in danger of losing public consent
DAME CRESSIDA DICK has told the entire Metropolitan Police that “enough is enough” after admitting the force is in danger of losing public consent.
In a letter sent to all 43,000 officers and staff, the head of Scotland Yard told them the force’s public reputation had been damaged by too many instances of “poor conduct and nasty and inappropriate behaviour”.
She warned everyone serving on the force that prejudice, racism, homophobia and sexism wouldn’t not be tolerated, adding: “If this is you I have a message: the Met does not want you. Leave now.”
She said if things did not improve the Met could face the unthinkable prospect of losing public consent. Her strongly worded letter comes after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) uncovered evidence of officers at Charing Cross police station sharing social media messages in which they joked about raping women and killing black children.
It is the latest controversy to hit the Met, which is still reeling from the murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, a serving armed officer, last March.
The IOPC findings have heaped further pressure on Dame Cressida, whose future has been thrown into doubt by a series of scandals.
Last week Sadiq Khan put the commissioner on notice, warning her to overhaul the Met urgently or face the consequences. In her letter, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, Dame Cressida urged officers to inform on their colleagues if they suspected them of wrongdoing, telling them “standing by is not an option”.
She wrote: “Over the last few months we have seen a depressing number of shameful cases that not only threaten public trust, confidence and consent, but also are drowning out the extraordinary achievements of this fantastic police service.”
She told her officers: “I know the vast majority of our officers and staff are dedicated and passionate about keeping
London safe, and doing the right thing. I need you to do the right thing, now. That means being professional and calling out all bad behaviour or prejudice. To not do so, to turn away or ignore where standards fall, is a failure of responsibility.
Her letter went on: “We are all more scrutinised than ever. And what you may regard as ‘private’ (in social media or WhatsApp, for example) can all too easily now and in the future become public.
“I know it takes courage to speak out. I want you to know you have my personal support to make yourself heard. Call it out, tell someone you trust, don’t let it continue. This is of course incredibly important for supervisors and leaders but it is equally important for every single one of us. Standing by is not an option.”
Tomorrow, Baroness Casey will begin her review of the Met, which was ordered in the wake of Miss Everard’s murder.
Dame Cressida went on: “Our reputation is tarnished and people’s confidence in us has fallen. This is serious and it is urgent. To lose public consent would be unthinkable. Action is needed now. Enough is enough.”