Met Police: hotline launched to report corrupt and abusive police officers as force seeks to regain trust

The Metropolitan Police has launched a new hotline to help report corrupt police officers. The London-based police force is currently seeking to regain trust of the public after a series of high profile scandals.

This includes the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, as well as serving officer David Carrick being accused of multiple counts of assault. Officers from the Charing Cross station were also found to have sent offensive messages, which included homophobia and misogyny, to each other following an investigation.

The new hotline is designed to allow members of the public to report on a range of different behaviours which they may feel goes against a police officer’s position of trust. This includes trading police information for money or any other favours, leveraging power for sexual gain, abusing or controlling people close to them, or displaying racist, homophobic or misogynistic behvaiour online and/or in person.

The new hotline will be led by the Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, a newly establish team within the force, and manned by the charity Crimestoppers. It will open from Tuesday 29 November to the public.

What has the Met Police said about the new hotline?

Commander James Harman, head of the Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said: “There are tens of thousands of people at the Met who work hard to fulfil our duties honestly with integrity. Nothing upsets our good people more than knowing there are officers or staff abusing their powers and letting the public down.

“It is so important that the good majority at the Met can trust their colleagues, and that the public know there are clear systems in place where appalling behaviours will be challenged and addressed robustly.

“We are therefore taking this exceptional step to identify and remove anyone who corrupts our integrity from the Met. We want to reassure the heroic majority within the Met to know that corrupt colleagues will be rooted out, but also for the public to see how seriously we take abuses of power and how determined we are to rebuild trust and confidence in the Met.”

Commander Harman, added: “The public can help us by sharing any information they have. We know that trust in us has been impacted and that is why we have asked the independent charity Crimestoppers to manage the hotline.

“If you have information about a police officer or member of staff who works for the Met and is corrupt, abusing their position and power, please call the hotline on 0800 085 0000 so we can act.”