As he vowed to restore “trust” in the force and “root out racists and misogynists,” Sir Mark Rowley, the newly appointed commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said today that it was “acceptable” that his officers are only responding to 50% of burglaries.
In an effort to turn around the troubled organization, which is in special measures after failing to report thousands of crimes and a string of officer misconduct scandals, Britain’s top policeman vowed to get the “basics right.”
Although the general public is aware that we won’t respond to every crime, serious crimes like burglaries require a proper police response. He told the Today program on BBC Radio 4 that the intrusion was too serious for no one to show up.
We recently reached a low of 50% on that, and that is unacceptable. Adding more officers to communities is also a first step toward becoming more dependable, which the public will witness over the course of the next year or so.
Sir Mark promised to punish officers who behaved inappropriately and stop them from speaking out in favor of political causes at demonstrations.
We must be ruthless in eliminating the racists and misogynists who are tarnishing the organization’s reputation, he said.
Sir Mark responded to the debate over whether or not officers should be permitted to kneel by stating that the police should maintain a neutral stance to prevent offending anyone.
“More trust, less crime, and high standards” was his stated goal. We should not display any allegiance to causes, no matter how honorable they may be.’
Sir Mark promised to use the “constructive anger” of the Met’s detractors to save the group and declared he would support more “visible policing.”
The policeman promised to focus on male offenders to make public spaces safer for women in a separate interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari. He claimed he would be fine for his daughters and granddaughters to wander the streets of London at night.
The police should, in his words, “most of all, focus their attention on the men who prey on women and children.”
Sadly, there are a lot of men in the city who engage in domestic violence, stalking, and rape.
“The ability to identify and target those hazardous persons is the item we provide to fixing this problem, alongside other agencies who give more supportive roles to victims,” says the organization.
Sir Mark stated that he aims to remove the force from special measures within 12 to 18 months and wants to demonstrate success in important areas to the public in 100 days.
When questioned about the number of teenage murders in London, he stated that his goal is to reduce the city’s yearly murder total to under 100.
Sir Mark also denied claims that law enforcement officers who handle firearms had threatened to quit their jobs in opposition to the dismissal of their colleague who fired the fatal shot at Chris Kaba.
It’s been misreported nonsense, he declared. I have a highly committed group of weapons officers that safeguard London every day by dealing with situations that are very challenging, and they would never let London down by using their firearms.
Although he has previously spoken to Mr. Kaba’s family, he declined to comment on what was said during the private encounter.
The shooting of Mr. Kaba, who was unarmed, is being investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Sir Mark declared: “We will make every effort to assist the IOPC in assembling the material as soon as they can so that the truth may be presented in front of whatever legal process follows.”
His remarks come only a few days after a watchdog expressed “severe concerns” about the Met’s performance after concluding that the force was “failing” in a number of its tasks.
When it published its conclusions last week, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) advised Scotland Yard to make immediate reforms.
The watchdog found that the force needed to improve in terms of investigating crimes, safeguarding the weak, managing criminals, creating a healthy work environment, and efficiently using resources. It also gave the force an insufficient grade for how it responds to the public.
The watchdog had placed the Met in special measures three months prior due to “repeated concerns” about its performance, including incidences that “raised issues surrounding confidence and trust,” among other things.
The beginning of Sir Mark’s tenure as commissioner coincided with undoubtedly one of the most difficult periods for the Met.
He assumed the position following Dame Cressida Dick’s abrupt resignation earlier this year and at a period of controversy for the force.
The murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, strip searches of children, and the appalling failures in investigating the deaths of serial killer Stephen Port’s victims were among the key issues that had harmed public confidence, according to a stern letter from then-home secretary Priti Patel to Sir Mark before his tenure began.
In addition, concerns have been raised about the force’s methods for combating corruption and its use of stop and search, as well as ongoing investigations into deaths that followed police contact, including that of Chris Kaba, who was fatally shot by an officer.
These incidents occurred between 2016 and 2018, and the racist, sexist, and homophobic messages shared by a group of officers stationed at Charing Cross police station have drawn widespread outrage.