A major scandal has emerged revealing that Britain's largest police forces hired tens of thousands of officers and staff without conducting basic employment reference checks. This systemic failure, which spanned up to six years, raises serious concerns about criminals operating in uniform after a government-backed recruitment drive compromised vetting standards.
Widespread Abandonment of Basic Checks
The Daily Mail can disclose that the practice of skipping pre-employment checks was far more extensive than previously known. Five major forces admitted they "deviated" from standard recruitment practices during the critical period of the Police Uplift Programme between July 2019 and March 2023. This £3 billion initiative aimed to recruit 20,000 new officers across England and Wales.
In a rush to meet targets linked to millions in extra funding, managers in some forces simply switched off reference checks. An information-gathering exercise by the Home Office and National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) in 2022 confirmed the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire, Merseyside, and Cumbria Police were not checking prospective candidates' references.
Shocking Scale of the Failures
The individual force admissions reveal a staggering lapse in due diligence:
- Merseyside Police employed 3,295 officers and staff without reference checks between March 2019 and August 2024. Of these, 55 have committed misconduct, resulting in 38 dismissals. The force is now conducting an "extensive review."
- Greater Manchester Police hired over 1,000 personnel without proper checks over a six-year period, a policy only reversed in February 2023.
- Lancashire Police checked not a single reference for hundreds hired between 2019 and 2025, calling it a "risk-based decision."
- Cumbria Police "deviated in verifying employment history" from 2017 to 2025, citing defunct businesses or non-responses.
This follows the Metropolitan Police's admission earlier this week that more than 130 officers and staff went on to commit crimes or misconduct after being mistakenly admitted due to vetting and employment check failures. Among those who slipped through the net were serial rapist and self-proclaimed 'devil' Cliff Mitchell and David Carrick, one of the UK's worst sex offenders now serving 37 life sentences.
National Repercussions and Official Response
Forces were under immense pressure to hit recruitment targets under the Police Uplift Programme, with funding at risk if the goal of 20,000 officers within three and a half years was not met. While all five forces insist these shortcuts did not affect formal vetting procedures—which include background checks—the omission of reference checks represents a critical gap in assessing a candidate's character and employment history.
The revelations have prompted immediate action from the highest levels of government. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has ordered a nationwide inspection of police recruitment and vetting procedures. An NPCC spokesman sought to clarify, stating: "It is important to note that the obtaining of references is a distinct part of the recruitment process, and should not be confused with vetting."
Nevertheless, the scandal fundamentally undermines public trust and exposes how the drive for numerical targets may have dangerously overridden essential safeguarding processes, potentially allowing unfit individuals to join the police service.
