Metropolitan Police is ‘institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic’ and may have more officers like Couzens and Carrick, review finds
The Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist, sexist, and homophobic and may have more officers like killer Wayne Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick, a damning report has found.
A review by Baroness Louise Casey, who spent a year investigating the Met Police in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by Couzens, said Britain’s largest force needs a “complete overhaul” and may need to be broken up.
Among a series of recommendations to “fix” the Met, Baroness Casey said the unit that Carrick – who was unmasked as one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders – and Couzens both served in should be “effectively disbanded”.
Rapist David Carrick and killer Wayne Couzens were serving Met Police officers when they carried out their crimes
Her 363-page report found evidence of widespread bullying, racist attitudes and “deep-seated homophobia” in the force.
Asked if there could be more officers in the Met like Couzens and Carrick, Baroness Casey said: “I cannot sufficiently assure you that that is not the case.”
She pointed out that Carrick was only caught after one of his victims heard a statement made by Ms Everard’s devastated mother and was moved to contact Hertfordshire Police, rather than as a result of any action by the Met.
The review was commissioned in the wake of the murder Sarah Everard
Among the report’s findings:
• A policewoman told how she tried to end her own life over the Met’s handling of her abuse allegations against another officer
• Staff were told that rape cases “would be dropped” due to a broken Met Police freezer that contained evidence from alleged victims. In another incident, a lunch box was found in the same fridge as rape samples, which would have contaminated evidence
• The Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command – in which Couzens and Carrick served – is “a dark corner of the Met where poor behaviours can easily flourish”
• A “deeply troubling, toxic culture” existed in the Met’s specialist firearms command, known as MO19, which included a training desk where “men hold competitions on how often they can make their female students cry”
• A female officer who accused a more senior colleague of sexual assault said she was “labelled a trouble-maker”
• An openly gay officer told the review: “I am scared of the police,” after he was the target of a “sustained campaign of homophobia from inside the Met”
• One officer “groomed” a victim of domestic abuse, while another was heard calling a white woman caught buying drugs from a black man a “n***** lover”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘We’ve let Londoners down’
‘Culture of denial’
Baroness Casey warned “predatory and unacceptable behaviour has been allowed to flourish” at the Met Police and there was a “culture of denial” in the force.
She called for the Met to “change itself”, adding: “It is not our job as the public to keep ourselves safe from the police. It is the police’s job to keep us safe as the public.”
“I make a finding of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia in the Met,” Baroness Casey wrote.
Baroness Louise Casey carried out the review
Damning review echoes landmark inquiry
The peer said if “sufficient progress” was not made to reform the force, “dividing up the Met… should be considered”.
The force currently runs the national counter-terrorism command and there have long been calls for that responsibility to move to the National Crime Agency, to allow the Met to focus on policing London.
Her conclusion that the force is institutionally racist echoes that of the Macpherson Inquiry in 1999, which took place after Stephen Lawrence’s murder and the abject failures in how the Met investigated his death.
Since then, the force has remained largely white and male, the review found.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Met Police report ‘very difficult reading’
Met chief dismisses ‘institutional’ branding
In response to the report, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised and said he accepted the “diagnosis” of prejudice in the force.
However, he said he would not use the term “institutional” because he viewed it as politicised and ambiguous.
The senior officer – who replaced Dame Cressida Dick as the head of the Met last year – said the findings sparked “feelings of shame and anger, but it also increases our resolve”.
“The appalling examples in this report of discrimination, the letting down of communities and victims, and the strain faced by the frontline, are unacceptable,” he said.
“We have let people down, and I repeat the apology I gave in my first weeks to Londoners and our own people in the Met. I am sorry.
“I want us to be anti-racist, anti-misogynist and anti-homophobic. In fact, I want us to be anti-discrimination of all kinds.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Every Met officer needs to be re-vetted’
Baroness Casey said she was disappointed that Sir Mark would not accept the term “institutional” in relation to her findings, but said she will wait to see what action the force takes in the coming weeks and months.
A passenger who witnessed a mass stabbing on board a high-speed train heading for London told Sky News he heard someone yelling: “They’ve got a knife. I’ve been stabbed.”
The witness, who gave his name as Gavin, said there were “extremely bloodied” people and police shouting “get down, get down!” as passengers scrambled to leave the train.
Ten people were taken to hospital – nine with life-threatening injuries – after the incident on the 6.25pm LNER train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday.
Two people have been arrested and counter-terrorism police have been called in to join the investigation.
Sky News correspondent Gurpreet Narwan at the scene said some of the first-hand accounts were “quite terrifying”.
Armed police, transport police, air ambulances and paramedics all attended the scene. Pic: PA
“We are hearing about people trampling over each other. We are hearing about passengers hiding in the toilets,” she said.
Gavin said: “The armed police were pointing to the suspect as we came off the train.
“Police were shouting ‘get down, get down’!
“He (a suspect) was waving quite a large knife. They detained him. I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The moment armed police arrive at the train
Emergency stop
Passengers had pulled the emergency cord, he said, which caused the train to make an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon, where armed police boarded.
Gavin added he saw someone moving through his carriage, and saying: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.”
“They were making their way through the carriage to get away from the suspects. They were extremely bloodied,” he added.
He says by the time the train stopped, “they were basically on the floor”.
“That person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away,” he said.
Read more
Major incident declared at Huntingdon train station – as it happened
Andrew urged to ‘be a man’ and tell police about his time with Epstein
One passenger in an emergency mediwrap blanket walks to safety. Pic: PA
Chief Superintendent Chris Casey of British Transport Police said: “This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families.
“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further.
“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.
“Our response is ongoing at the station and will be for some time.”
UK
Two people in life-threatening condition after train mass stabbing – as police give details on suspects
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a mass stabbing on a train left two people with life-threatening injuries.
At least nine more people were injured in the attack on a train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday night.
Police made the arrests within eight minutes of the 999 call being made, Superintendent John Loveless from British Transport Police said.
Officers were deployed to Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire after the first 999 report at 7.42pm on Saturday and boarded the train.
Train stabbing latest: Two victims still fighting for lives
Two men were being held at separate police stations and questioned on suspicion of attempted murder, Sup Loveless said.
One is a 32-year-old male, a black British national, and the other is a 35-year-old man, a British national of Caribbean descent. Both were born in the UK.
In a statement, the King and Queen said they were “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack,” and offered their “deepest sympathy and thoughts” with those affected.
In total, 11 people were treated in hospital – nine were initially reported as having life-threatening injuries. By late Sunday morning, two patients remained in a life-threatening condition, Sup Loveless told reporters at Huntingdon railway station.
“Following assessment and treatment, four – I’m thankful to say – have been discharged.”
Emergency responders at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire on Saturday night. Pic: PA
Initial reports suggested police fired a Taser at a man with a large knife, after he went on a bloody rampage on the high-speed train.
There was “nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident”, Sup Loveless said, adding that the investigation would continue to examine the “motivations” which led to the attack.
“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident,” he added.
Counter-terrorism police were initially supporting the investigation.
Emergency crews spilled out onto the tracks. Pic: PA
Police erected a cordon outside the station. Pic: PA
Witnesses told Sky News the stabbings started a few minutes after the train left Peterborough and passengers sounded the emergency alarm.
Armed police, paramedics, air ambulances, and transport police were deployed to the train – the 6.25pm London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service between Doncaster and London King’s Cross.
Pic: PA
Investigators at a cordon around Huntingdon train station. Pic: PA
Some told of people trampling over each other, and some hiding in the toilets to escape.
One told Sky News he saw one of the attackers being Tasered by police before being arrested.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Policing commentator Graham Wettone speaks to Gillian Joseph
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was an “appalling incident” and was “deeply concerning”.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote on X.
Armed police, paramedics, air ambulances, and transport police arrived within minutes. Pic: PA
Officers wearing forensic suits with a police dog outside the station. Pic: PA
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident and urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on X: “Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.
“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding.”
‘Shocked and frightened’ passengers
Defence Secretary John Healey spoke to Sky News on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips and said he took the same train route just hours before the attack.
“It’s the service I use every week to get home to Rotherham, so I can’t begin to imagine how shocked and frightened those passengers were.”
Asked by Phillips if the attack has changed the UK’s terror threat level, he says no and that it remains “substantial” – meaning an attack is considered “likely”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Why stabbing ‘close to home’ for Defence Secretary
‘Like a horror film’
Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Audrey McAdam, told Sky News she was “very emotional” after hearing about the stabbing and said it must have been like a “horror film” for the passengers.
“I’m still in shock… I’m very emotional, and as soon as I found out, I thought, ‘oh no’.
“I’m worried about the people actually in hospital at this moment… it’s something I never thought would ever happen around Huntingdon… it’s something so dreadful.
“But to live in that moment… it’s a horror film… complete horror. I just cannot imagine what the people must have [been] feeling… When you’re stuck on a train, what can you do? A moving train.”
Huntingdon’s mayor told Sky News it must have been like a ‘horror film’ for passengers
An ‘incredible’ response from emergency services
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty spoke to Sky News at the scene on Saturday night. He said: “When I first arrived here, I’ve simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there was in terms of police, fire and ambulance.”
On Sunday morning, Mr Obese-Jecty spoke again about the “rapid, incredible response” and praised the “brave officers who came to try and neutralise that threat”.
The chief constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary told him officers had been training for a similar emergency “only last week”. The MP also called for people to avoid guessing about the circumstances.
“I think also people need to keep cool heads at this time. I’ve seen an awful lot of speculation online and a lot of misinformation,” he added.
Read more:
‘They’ve got a knife’: Eyewitness recalls attack
How the attack unfolded
Watch: Moment armed police arrive at train stabbing
David Horne, managing director of LNER, said the company was “deeply shocked and saddened”.
National Rail says some train routes to and from London King’s Cross on LNER, Great Northern and Thameslink services face disruption on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport union also said they were “horrified” by the attack.
“Our thoughts remain with the train crew and passengers who were either at work or going about their business on a busy Saturday night during this awful incident.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “rebuilding” the party as she marks her first year in the job.
Ms Badenoch also said she had spent the last 12 months “giving the country a serious alternative to Labour’s weakness: a plan for a stronger economy and stronger borders”.
The leader, who was elected on 2 November last year when she defeated Robert Jenrick, said on Sunday she was “rebuilding our party, our principles and our plan for Britain”.
She came to the helm after a leadership contest, triggered by Rishi Sunak’s resignation in the wake of the 2024 general election drubbing.
Pic: PA
But despite starting to craft a new Tory policy platform, she has been criticised by anonymous MPs who are disappointed the Conservatives do not appear to be cutting through with voters.
And she has seen some senior party figures defect to Reform UK, including ex-Conservative chairman Jake Berry, former Welsh secretary David Jones, and Tory MP Danny Kruger.
Ms Badenoch also continues to face the challenge of ambitious frontbenchers who appear to be plotting potential future leadership bids, including shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick.
Despite her insistence that the party is providing a credible alternative to the Labour government, the latest polling from YouGov suggested voters are yet to be convinced by Ms Badenoch, with just 12% believing she is a prime minister in waiting, while 62% do not.
But Ms Badenoch appeared adamant in her approach as she faced down the critics.
She said: “This first year of my leadership has been about rebuilding. Rebuilding our party, our principles and our plan for Britain.
“After defeat in 2024, we faced a choice: retreat into slogans, or rebuild around values. We chose to rebuild.
“The Conservative Party now stands once again for what made Britain strong in the first place – responsibility, fairness, competence and pride in our nation.”
Read more:
Johnson third ex-Tory PM to criticise Badenoch’s policies
Analysis – Tories and Reform: From feud to love-in?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘They have scandal after scandal’
A majority of Conservative members, 54%, do believe she is doing a good job as party leader, while 24% say she has done a bad job, the YouGov survey found.
Pollsters have also suggested the Tories are less popular than the Liberal Democrats, as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK continues to lead with the public.
In May, the Conservatives suffered heavy defeats in the local elections, as Ms Badenoch apologised to her party over the result.
In October at her first Conservative party conference as leader, she made the surprise announcement the Tories would scrap stamp duty, a tax paid by house buyers, on the purchase of their main homes.
It gave the Conservatives and their leader a much-needed lift after what many have dubbed the lost year.
But backbench Tories could soon hold Ms Badenoch’s future in their hands, as a grace period stopping them from submitting letters expressing no confidence in her expires once her first year in office is complete.
Bob Blackman, who as chairman of the 1922 Committee acts as a conduit for Conservative backbenchers, said he believed Ms Badenoch’s slow and steady approach had been the correct one.
However, Labour said that “one year in, Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives have shown themselves incapable of change or learning lessons from the past”.
Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “They crashed the economy, sent mortgages rocketing and left NHS waiting lists at record highs.”
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024