Yesterday, Scotland Yard was put under special measures following a humiliating examination that exposed a long list of fresh failings.
The largest police department in Britain has officers who omitted to report tens of thousands of crimes, ignored nearly all anti-social behavior victims, abandoned helpless victims, and ignored a backlog of internet reports of child abuse.
According to a fresh inspection that found “systemic concerns” about the force’s performance, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) declared that the force needs to be placed under special measures.
Due to the extraordinary action, the Metropolitan Police will be under external scrutiny and will need to develop an improvement strategy.
The damning indictment comes after Commissioner Cressida Dick was forced to resign in February as a result of a year-long string of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by one of her officers, the force’s designation as “institutionally corrupt,” and the imprisonment of two officers for taking pictures of dead murder victims.
Yesterday, a document from the police inspectorate that was released indicated that the force is consistently failing victims. The latest yearly examination revealed:
Every year, around 69,000 offenses go unreported, and nearly no anti-social behavior-related crimes are.
National standards are not being met while handling 999 calls.
Some investigations don’t have enough oversight or supervision.
In 25% of cases, police officers improperly record the basis for a stop and search.
The force’s capacity is insufficient to meet the demand for public safety.
A ‘persistently significant backlog’ of online reports of child abuse exists.
Home Secretary Priti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan got into a verbal spat last night over who should take responsibility for the mishap.
Her Majesty’s Inspector Matt Parr cautioned in a leaked letter to Acting Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Stephen House that the string of scandals and “systemic concerns” about the performance of the force are “likely to have a chilling impact on public faith and confidence in the Met.”
Mr. Parr criticized the force’s performance in handling 999 and non-emergency calls in the new inspection, saying it is “falling far short of national standards,” with staff failing to assess vulnerability, identify repeat victims, and not offering advice about preserving evidence to catch offenders.
The full findings of the new inspection have not yet been made public.
In his criticism of the force, he claimed that it had a “barely adequate standard of crime recording accuracy,” with an estimated 69,000 crimes going unreported annually, less than half of crimes being reported within 24 hours, and almost no crimes being reported when victims report antisocial behavior against them.
According to Mr. Parr, victims were not informed when police were dropping their case, they did not receive the necessary help, and police did not consult with victims before finalizing crime reports.
He continued by criticizing the Metropolitan Police for having “an inadequately thorough awareness of demand” and “the lack of a clear understanding of capacity and capability across all sectors of policing.”