‘Large proportion’ of officers unfit to serve – Scotland Yard – Reuters
Bureaucracy prevents London police from firing ‘not properly deployable’ staff, says police chief
Up to 10% of Metropolitan Police forces are unfit to serve, its commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, told The Times. He cited bureaucratic procedures as the main reason underperforming and misbehaving staff continue to work for the London Service’s law enforcement agencies.
In an interview published on Friday, Rowley revealed that only 90% of the 35,000 troops are fully deployable, while some 3,000 officers have health or performance issues.
“We cannot manage a workforce of which such a large proportion is not properly deployable”, Rowley said.
He explained that many of these officers cannot work shifts, long days, or that their contact with the public should be limited due to “anxiety-related issues.”
Emphasizing that Scotland Yard will always be “super helpful and friendly“to injured officers and those with mental health issues, Rowley said he is”hard” for the force to have so many unfit personnel.
According to The Times, Rowley is frustrated with the barriers put in place to fire civil servants who fail to meet the requirements of their job. He also hopes for a modification of the police regulations which would allow him to dismiss some of the “not properly deployable” officers more easily. These efforts are currently hampered by a “very bureaucratic” dismissal procedure, he explained.
“Upgrading” is also necessary, according to Rowley, to ” to skyrocket “ the response to misogyny, violence and misconduct in the ranks. He revealed his intention to conduct retrospective investigations of officers with a history of misconduct who had successfully evaded disciplinary action.
Last month, a preliminary review compiled by independent adviser Baroness Louise Casey revealed more than 1,800 “recidivists” among the police. According to the report, 1,263 officers and staff had been involved in two or more disciplinary cases, while just over 500 in three to five cases and 41 in six or more cases. Only 13 of those people had been fired, Casey said.
In response to these revelations, Rowley vowed to “revolve around” strength and to “get rid” of hundreds of officers who “doesn’t deserve to be a cop.”
Rowley’s predecessor, Cressida Dick, resigned in February, shortly after an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) report revealed widespread incidents of racism, sexism and bullying within Met ranks .
You can share this story on social media:
RT
