The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is to order an independent special inquiry into whether the Metropolitan police allowed hundreds of recruits to join without proper vetting, amid concerns they may pose a criminal risk. The inquiry will be carried out by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, focusing on 300 new officers hired between 2016 and 2023.
Sources indicate that an initial internal Met investigation, Operation Jorica, began several months ago and found potential issues with some officers hired during that period. The recruits may have had substandard or no vetting before gaining police powers, which is supposed to weed out applicants with criminal convictions, cautions, or associations, as well as those at risk due to debt.
The potential errors were first reported by the Guardian in September. The Met has been urgently revetting recruits appointed during the seven-year period, which largely coincided with the police uplift programme under the Conservative government, when 20,000 officers were hired between 2020 and 2023. The errors predate Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's appointment in September 2022, occurring under previous commissioners Dame Cressida Dick and Lord Hogan-Howe.
The Met has been under scrutiny following high-profile scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by officer Wayne Couzens in 2021 and the rape and sexual violence committed by David Carrick. A 2022 report by Louise Casey found flawed vetting practices that allowed individuals suspected of serious offences to join or remain in the force. The Met declined to comment beyond its September statement, which confirmed a review of vetting and hiring practices as part of efforts to raise professional standards and increase public trust.
