The Metropolitan police is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, and has lost the consent of the people of London, according to a damning official report published on Tuesday. The 363-page inquiry by Baroness Louise Casey, commissioned after the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer, paints a picture of a force that is broken, rotten and suffering collapsing public trust.
Lady Casey said the Met must “no longer presume that it has the permission of the people of London to police them”, warning that public consent is broken, with only 50% of Londoners expressing confidence in the force. The report found that 12% of women in the Met had been sexually harassed or assaulted at work, and one in three had experienced sexism. It also detailed cases of bullying, discrimination and a culture where complaints were covered up or downplayed.
The report highlighted systemic racism, noting that black Londoners have long held lower confidence in the Met, and that minority ethnic officers were far more likely to face discipline or leave. Specific abuses included a Muslim officer having bacon stuffed in his boots and a Sikh officer having his beard cut. Stop-and-search and use of force against black people was found to be excessive.
Casey also criticised the handling of rape cases, citing broken or overflowing fridges containing rape kits, resulting in lost evidence and rapists going free. She described austerity cuts of £700m as having left the force’s protection of women and children inadequate. The report warned that without radical reform, the Met could face dismemberment into separate specialist and London responsibilities.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley declined to accept the labels of institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia, but London Mayor Sadiq Khan – who has placed the force in special measures – said he accepted the findings “unflinchingly”. Khan vowed to hold Rowley to account as the force attempts to implement Casey’s recommendations in full.
