Deputy London Mayor and IOPC questioned on police culture and performance
The Home Affairs Committee continues its inquiry into policing priorities on Wednesday 15 March when it takes evidence from witnesses including London Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden; IOPC Interim Director and General and Chair, Tom Whiting; and Chair of the Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board, Abimbola Johnson.
The Metropolitan Police Service has been in ‘special measures’ since June 2022 due to serious concerns around its performance. Out of 35,000 serving officers, 3,000 are considered ‘not properly deployable’ due to performance or health issues. 500 officers are suspended or on restricted duties due to accusations of serious misconduct.
There has been criticism of the way the Met handles misconduct cases. It found the force was poor at identifying repeated incidents of misconduct, had too high a bar for what behaviour was classed as ‘gross misconduct’, and took too long to carry out investigations. They also found that black officers were 81% more likely to have misconduct allegations brought against them.
Trust in police among Black and minority ethnic communities has fallen over the last year. Black and minority ethnic officers also remain under-represented in the workforce and face harsher disciplinary measures. The police service has developed a Race Action Plan to tackle these issues but a recent survey shows that Black people are more sceptical than others of the change it will achieve.
Likely areas of questioning
In this session, the Home Affairs Committee will examine if policing has learnt lessons and initiated change following a catalogue high profile failings in recent years. This will include whether the structures intended to improve accountability and root-out poor conduct are up to the task, particularly in the Metropolitan Police Service. It will also look at what more can be done to improve public trust and improve confidence in community policing.