Met Police: Force placed into special measures by watchdog after scandals such as Sarah Everard murder

The Met Police has been placed into special measures by the emergency services watchdog following a string of scandals that shook public trust in officers.

Scotland Yard has been told by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) that it has been ruled a failing force.

It follows the departure of commissioner Dame Cressida Dick in February 2022, after mayor Sadiq Khan announced he had lost confidence in her leadership, forcing her to stand down.

While the embattled organisation has been confronted with a string of scandals, from the murder of Sarah Everard by serving cop Wayne Couzens, to the reopening of investigations into officers involved in the Stephen Port murders, and the strip search of Child Q.

The force, which is the largest policing unit in the country, has seen public faith fall to new lows over the past year.

The HMICFRS is reported to have said: “We can confirm that we are now monitoring the Metropolitan Police Service through our Engage process, which provides additional scrutiny and support to help it make improvements.”

It’s understood the Engage process is authorised when a police force is “not responding to a cause of concern, or if it is not succeeding in managing, mitigating or eradicating the cause of concern”.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The HMIC has raised very serious concerns about the Met’s performance and I welcome the additional scrutiny and support that these measures will now bring.

“Unlike many others, I have long been clear that wide-ranging reforms are urgently needed for the Met to regain the trust and confidence of Londoners – which is so vital to policing by consent.

“A series of appalling scandals have not only exposed deep cultural problems but have damaged the confidence of Londoners in the capital’s police service.

“The decision by the HMIC to now move the Met into special measures has laid bare the substantial performance failings by the force.”

He added: “As I have been saying for some time, Londoners deserve better.

“That’s why we now need to see nothing less than a new contract forged between the police and the public in London. This means root and branch reforms and systemic change to the Met’s performance and culture.

“This will be a crucial first step for the next Commissioner to start rebuilding trust and credibility with our communities.

“I will work with HMIC and will hold the Met to account in delivering the police reforms and step change in policing performance and culture that all our communities deserve.”

A Scotland Yard statement said: “We recognise the cumulative impact of events and problems that the Met is dealing with.

“We understand the impact this has had on communities and we share their disappointment.

“We are determined to be a police service Londoners can be proud of. We are talking to the inspectorate about next steps.”