The UK’s top police forces are no longer trusted by the general public
Britain’s top police force no longer has the trust of the general public and needs major reform, a review by the organization has found.
An investigation into the state of the Metropolitan Police in London (Met) found that the force no longer has the support and trust of the general public.
It comes shortly after a member of the force was convicted of a serial rapist and sexual assaulter, who allegedly frequently used his position in the force to abuse women.
According to the review published on Tuesday, the Met Police Force is no longer providing the services it is supposed to, with a combination of financial cuts and complacency resulting in a serious deterioration in frontline law enforcement.
“London no longer has a functioning Neighborhood Police Service,” the report says, adding that women and children in particular have been underserved by force and put at risk as a result.
The police are in ‘denial’ of the problems they face and have institutional barriers to improvement, including ‘hubris’ – believing only they really understand what it takes to police London, and so refusing to take outside criticism or help – and “optimism” manifesting itself as covering up problems. Protecting the force’s reputation is seen as more important than having a good police force, Casey says.
Besides these failures, the report also focuses on accusations of systematic racism, sexism and homophobia. The fact that black officers are considerably more likely to face disciplinary proceedings than white officers, and that black Londoners are more likely to interact with the police than whites, are both identified as evidence of racism within the force.
Nonetheless, while black Londoners are more likely to hold a negative view of the force than their white neighbours, the report found that this trust gap was closing rapidly as trust in the police to do a good job declined among white Londoners.
Overall, the report finds that overall confidence in the force has now fallen below the 50% mark, ultimately expressing doubts about whether the Met can still operate a ‘policing by consent’ model.
The report says: “The policing by consent model, pioneered in London and admired and copied around the world, compels the Met to earn and maintain the public’s trust in everything it does. However, public confidence in the institution is declining.
British police officer used Covid Lockdown cover to kidnap and murder Sarah Everard, prosecutor says https://t.co/VAFruvwJuO
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondres) September 29, 2021
That public trust in the Met has plummeted is not surprising given a recent string of inexcusable scandals coupled with an increase in violent crime. The litany of serious sex crimes committed by members of the force discredited her with the general public.
Tuesday’s report even goes so far as to describe itself as “limited” by such rape scandals, beginning shortly after the rape and murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of Met Police Constable Wayne Couzens.
Couzens abducted the 33-year-old woman under the auspices of his arrest for violating COVID restrictions, before raping and murdering her.
The report now comes out just over a month after another force office, David Carrick, was convicted in court of being a serial rapist and sex offender, pleading guilty to two dozen rapes in January this year .
Carrick allegedly used his position in the force to gain the trust of women before raping them, with some of his victims being subjected to prolonged sexual assaults.
Some victims were even reportedly locked in a small cupboard for long periods without food.
London cop admits to being a prolific serial rapist https://t.co/ZpSBWImC5F
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondres) January 16, 2023
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