Met Police's 'dereliction of duty to keep London safe' in scandal over checks on 22,000 recruits including serial rapists

"The Metropolitan Police was accused of a dereliction of duty to keep London safe in a shocking scandal over checks on more than 22,000 recruits including two serial rapists. More than 130 officers and staff at Scotland Yard committed crimes or misconduct after they were not properly vetted, a review has found. Around 1,500 may not have been allowed to join the force if proper checks had been carried out, the Met report estimated."

"David Carrick who has been handed his 37th life sentence Mitchell was allowed to join the force in 2020 after a vetting panel, which partly aimed to improve diversity, overturned a decision to reject him from the police despite a previous accusation of raping a child. In a damning indictment of the force, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered an inspection by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary of Scotland Yard's recruitment and vetting practices."

"Abandoning vetting checks on officers was a dereliction of the Met's duty to keep London safe, she said. Londoners rightly expect officers to undergo robust checks so that the brightest and best, not criminals, are policing our streets. He was jailed for life at the Old Bailey for a crime which horrified the nation after abusing his authority as a Met Police officer and lockdown rules to abduct Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive."

A vetting review found that more than 130 Metropolitan Police officers and staff committed crimes or misconduct after not being properly vetted, following checks on over 22,000 recruits. The Met estimated around 1,500 recruits may not have been allowed to join if proper checks had been carried out. David Carrick was allowed to join the force in 2020 after a vetting panel overturned a rejection despite a previous accusation of raping a child. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered an inspection by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary into recruitment and vetting practices. Several officers have since been dismissed and trust in the force has been damaged.

Read at www.standard.co.uk