The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has ordered an independent special inquiry into whether the Metropolitan Police allowed hundreds of recruits to join without proper vetting, potentially posing a criminal risk. The inquiry will be conducted by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
Concerns centre on 300 new officers hired between 2016 and 2023 who may have had substandard or no vetting before gaining police powers. Vetting is intended to screen out applicants with criminal convictions, cautions, criminal associations, or integrity risks due to debt.
The Met's own initial inquiry, Operation Jorica, began several months ago and identified potential issues with some officers hired during that period. The force is under pressure to demonstrate trustworthiness after scandals involving officers Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, who committed serious crimes while serving.
The potential errors predate Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's appointment in September 2022, occurring under previous commissioners Dame Cressida Dick and Lord Hogan-Howe. The bulk of recruitment took place during the Conservative government's police uplift programme, which hired 20,000 officers between 2020 and 2023.
Since Rowley became commissioner, about 1,500 officers have left as part of efforts to clean up the force. The Met declined to comment beyond its September statement, which confirmed a review of vetting and hiring practices between 2016 and 2023 as part of raising professional standards and increasing trust.
