Sadiq Khan ordered to sort out crisis-hit Met Police: London Mayor told to take ‘immediate action’

Priti Patel has ordered Sadiq Khan to take ‘immediate action’ to fix the failing Met as it was placed on special measures after a devastating inspection revealed a catalog of new scandals – including 69,000 crimes that go unaccounted for each year. registered.

Scotland Yard was criticized for its “barely adequate standard of crime recording accuracy, with less than half of crimes being recorded within 24 hours and almost no crimes being recorded when victims report antisocial behavior towards them.”

In a leaked letter to acting Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Stephen House, Her Majesty’s Inspector Matt Parr warned that the succession of scandals and “systemic concerns” over police performance “will likely have a chilling effect on public confidence in the Met.” ‘.

Mr Parr said victims were not told when officers dropped their cases, they were not given appropriate support and officers were not asked for their opinions before finalizing crime reports.

He further criticized “the lack of a detailed understanding of capacity and capability in all aspects of policing,” saying the Met had “an insufficiently comprehensive understanding of demand.”

The move caused an argument between Miss Patel and Mr Khan. In a statement, the Home Secretary said: “I support the action HMICFRS has taken today to highlight their shortcomings – and I expect the Met and the Mayor of London to take immediate action to address them. ‘

The unprecedented move means the Metropolitan Police will have to deal with external oversight and come up with an improvement plan.

The damning indictment comes after Commissioner Cressida Dick was forced to resign in February after a scorching year of scandal in which Sarah Everard was murdered by one of her officers. photographing bodies of murder victims.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) announced that “systemic concerns” about force performance raised by a new inspection were so serious that the force had to be placed under special measures.

In the new inspection, which has yet to be made fully public, Her Majesty’s Inspector Matt Parr condemned the police’s performance in handling 999 and non-emergency calls, saying it “stays well below national standards,” taking it staff fail to assess vulnerability, identify repeat victims and provide advice on preserving evidence to catch perpetrators.

Mr Parr said victims were not told when officers dropped their cases, they were not given appropriate support and officers were not asked for their opinions before finalizing crime reports.

He further criticized “the lack of a detailed understanding of capacity and capabilities in all aspects of policing”, saying the Metropolitan Police had “an insufficiently comprehensive understanding of demand”.

Yesterday, a leaked letter from the police inspectorate revealed that the force is abandoning victims across the board. The new annual inspection found:

Every year, about 69,000 crimes go unrecorded and almost no crimes of antisocial behavior are recorded.

• The handling of 999 calls is below national standards.
• There is insufficient supervision and overview of some investigations.
• In a quarter of the cases, officers fail to record the reason for an arrest and to search properly.
• The force has insufficient capacity to meet the demand for public protection.
• There is a ‘continuing large backlog’ of online referrals to child abuse.

Last week, Scotland Yard revealed that eight searches of children have been made to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) after two teenage girls were searched by officers while they were menstruating.

Parr also highlighted the investigation into four murders by serial killer Stephen Port, which he said was marred by “seemingly incomprehensible failures.”

He said Scotland Yard has not always shown “a great willingness” to learn from mistakes, following a report in March warning that the “arrogant, secretive and lethargic” power failed to crack down on corruption.

The Metropolitan Police is now one of the few forces ever placed under special measures, which the inspectorate calls an ‘engage phase’.

Priti Patel said yesterday: ‘I expect the police to have the basics in order. It is clear that the Metropolitan Police Service is not meeting these expectations and so I support the action HMICFRS has taken today to highlight their shortcomings – and I expect the Met and the Mayor of London to take immediate action to address them. to deal with.

“The process to recruit a new Commissioner is well underway and I have made it clear that the successful candidate will need to demonstrate demonstrable improvements in the Metropolitan Police Service to regain public confidence, both in London and the whole country.

“The new commissioner will have to deliver on the public’s policing priorities: making our streets safer, reducing crime and bringing more criminals to justice, while continuing to recruit thousands of new officers to protect local communities.”

But Mr Khan hit back, pointing out that he had been the one who forced Dame Cressida. A source close to the mayor said: “He will not draw lessons from the police work of the Home Secretary, who was clearly happy with the status quo and did not want any action to be taken.”

Sir Stephen has been summoned to a meeting next month to discuss an action plan before a new commissioner is appointed.

A Met spokesperson said: ‘We are determined to be a police force that Londoners can be proud of. We are in talks with the Inspectorate about next steps.’