Refuge responds to Met Police announcement on officer vetting and misconduct

Abigail Ampofo, Director of Service Delivery, said:

“While we welcome the Met addressing the issue of its wholly inadequate vetting practices, and rooting out officers who have committed crimes, we remain concerned that this approach is failing to address the systemic problems within the Met and wider policing.

“Releasing a series of figures obscures the real issue – a force which is institutionally misogynistic, racist and homophobic. Unless Sir Mark Rowley can recognise the extent of this issue and begin the work of root and branch reform, survivors will not regain the confidence to approach the police about crimes perpetrated against them.

“We only need to look to the David Carrick case to know that officers who hold violent misogynistic beliefs have, for too long, been able to join the Met and rise through its ranks. Today’s announcement that almost 200 officers and staff need urgent risk assessment or vetting reviews is incredibly alarming – how many more have been able to get away with using their position to harm?

“As the force continues to inspect its vetting and dismissal process, for any meaningful progress to be forthcoming, changes must include immediate suspension pending investigation for VAWG allegations, and dismissal wherever VAWG or misogynistic attitudes are established.

“We are under no illusions that this will be a quick process, but the attitude of simply rooting out the bad apples one by one must end now. The whole tree is already rotten – the institution needs reform now.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The Met’s full announcement can be found here.

About Refuge

Refuge supports thousands of women and their children on any given day, and every two minutes someone looks to Refuge for help. Refuge runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which is the gateway to accessing specialist support across the country. More than one in four women in England and Wales experiences domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime, and on average two women are killed by a current or former partner a week.

Please signpost to Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for free, confidential specialist support. Or visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk to fill in a webform and request a safe time to be contacted or to access live chat (live chat available 3pm-10pm, Monday to Friday). For support with tech abuse visit refugetechsafety.org.