Met failing in almost all work areas – inspectorate

The police inspectorate found seven of nine areas were inadequate or needed improvement

The Metropolitan Police is failing in almost all its areas of work, the police inspectorate has said.

The force was assessed across nine areas and graded as “requires improvement” or “inadequate” in seven – including investigating and preventing crime.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said many changes had already been made but not yet resulted in “consistent improvements”.

The Met said it was “using every available resource to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards”.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspected the force for the 2023-25 period.

The Met has been in an enhanced monitoring process known as Engage since a previous inspection in 2022. Engage is used when a force is “not succeeding in managing, mitigating or eradicating” a cause of concern.

This came after a series of scandals that engulfed Scotland Yard, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, strip searches of children and failures investigating the deaths of the victims of serial killer Stephen Port.

The HMICFRS said the force would remain in the Engage process.

The London mayor said he was “confident” the Met’s commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, could “turn this around”

Mr Freeman said the Met was going through a “significant” transformation, and “many changes have already been made”, but “these haven’t yet translated into consistent and sustained improvements in certain key areas”.
“Consequently, I have serious concerns about how the force is currently investigating crime and managing offenders and suspects,” he said.

“I also have concerns about how the force is preventing and reducing crime and providing victims with an effective service.”