High Court’s decision against vetting-based dismissal in Met Police

Responding to the High Court’s decision on the lawfulness of vetting-based dismissal in the Metropolitan Police, Abigail Ampofo, Interim CEO of Refuge, said:

“Time and time again, we are told that tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a policy priority, yet the news that police officers cannot be dismissed if their vetting is revoked means that these sorts of statements risk amounting to nothing more than lip service to the safety of women and girls.

The High Court’s finding that the Met Police’s vetting-dismissal scheme is unlawful creates a glaring gap in the law which must be urgently resolved by the government. Vetting often reveals a history of VAWG or domestic abuse, and it is essential that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that women and girls are protected where this is the case.

Only last month, a report by DA Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs exposed shockingly high levels of police-perpetrated abuse, with every force in England and Wales (except one) facing at least one reported incident in the year to March 2024.

While we welcome Mark Rowley’s decision to keep officers with revoked vetting on leave, we regret that money is being diverted in this way when the need to spend more on tackling VAWG could not be greater.

It is of paramount importance that the government acts quickly by implementing regulations to ensure that officers who have their vetting revoked can be dismissed. History clearly shows us the horrific consequences of inadequate vetting practices, with serial perpetrators like Wayne Couzens and David Carrick being allowed to act with impunity for years while allegations of abuse of women and extreme misogyny were not acted on.

Following on from Refuge’s ‘Remove the Rot’ campaign, which exposed the shocking magnitude of police forces’ failure to tackle misogyny and police-perpetrated VAWG, Labour committed to the suspension of all officers accused of domestic abuse or sexual offences pending an investigation. The government must make good on this manifesto pledge as a matter of urgency.

Enough is enough. We urgently need the loopholes to be closed in order to root out all perpetrators from police ranks, protect survivors, and restore confidence in the justice system as a whole.”