The Metropolitan Police is investigating 1,000 sexual and domestic abuse claims involving approximately 800 of its officers, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has announced. The revelation follows the guilty plea of PC David Carrick to 49 offences, including dozens of rapes, committed against 12 women over two decades.
Sir Mark Rowley has apologised to Carrick's victims, acknowledging the force's failings. 'We have failed. And I'm sorry. He should not have been a police officer,' he said. The commissioner announced that all 45,000 Met officers and staff would be rechecked for previously missed offending.
The Met is reviewing 1,633 cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence involving 1,071 officers and staff from the last ten years to ensure appropriate decisions were made. Carrick had been brought to the attention of police over nine incidents between 2000 and 2021, including allegations of rape, domestic violence, and harassment.
Despite having five public complaints to his name, Carrick passed checks to become a firearms officer in 2009 and was vetted again in 2017. The prime minister's spokesman said high-profile cases like Carrick's had 'shattered' public trust in policing, but Rishi Sunak retains faith in the Met and Sir Mark Rowley.
Baroness Casey, conducting a review of the force's standards, has called for a full inquiry into Carrick's case, suggesting the scope of the inquiry into Sarah Everard's murder be extended. Home Secretary Suella Braverman described it as a 'sobering day' for policing, emphasising the need for cultural change.
