The Metropolitan Police Service is to launch a review of its professional standards and internal culture, following the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer.
Writing for the Evening Standard, Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said that within a week she hopes to announce the appointment of a “high profile figure” to lead the review, which will look at training, leadership, processes, systems and standards of behaviour in the Met.
The review will also examine cases where officers have “let the public down”, and will challenge the Met’s senior leadership team on how it responds “when things go wrong”.
“The Met is far from perfect. But I humbly ask you to consider that for every officer who lets us down there are thousands more whose commitment to you is undiminished. They are good people, doing the best they can. They also feel angry, undermined and let down. These women and men care deeply, love their work and are very proud to serve you,” Dick concluded.
The commissioner has faced calls to resign over the past week after it emerged that Wayne Couzens, the police officer who was sentenced to life in prison for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard, had falsely arrested and used his handcuffs to detain the marketing executive in March this year.
Speaking to the BBC, Dick said Everard’s murder had made “everyone in the Met furious and we depend on public trust”.
“In this country policing is done by consent and undoubtedly the killing of Sarah and other events has damaged public trust,” she said, adding she was determined to rebuild it.
Asked if she offered to resign, she said: “People will be entitled to their opinion. I’ve got a job to do, I’m getting on with it. My job now is to lead the Met.”
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A Daily Mail investigation has revealed that almost a thousand police officers from across the UK have been investigated for posting offensive content on social media and messaging platforms, including racist, sexist, homophobic and misogynistic material.
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