Crime & Justice

London Police institutionally racist, misogynistic, homophobic: report

London, Mar 21 (EFE).- London’s Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic, according to a devastating independent report published on Tuesday.

The review by Baroness Louise Casey was commissioned after the police force came under scrutiny following the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021.

According to the 363-page document, there are racist officers and a “deep-seated homophobia” within the organization.

Casey even warned that the force could be dismantled unless the situation improves.

The damning report warned that the city of London “no longer has a functioning neighborhood policing service”.

The problems are particularly acute for ethnic minorities, the report found, who are subjected to higher levels of policing in London, with black residents still more at risk of being victims of serious and violent crimes than white Londoners.

“This leads to the view that London’s communities of color are both over-policed and under-protected,” the report said.

“It is not our job as the public to keep ourselves safe from the police. It is the police’s job to keep us safe as the public. Far too many Londoners have now lost faith in policing to do that. Many Londoners, particularly Black Londoners, never had it to begin with. I completely understand why they feel that way,” Casey said.

The report also found that violence against women and girls has not been taken as seriously as other forms of violence.

“Female officers and staff routinely face sexism and misogyny. The Met has not protected its female employees or members of the public from police perpetrators of domestic abuse, nor those who abuse their position for sexual purposes,” the report warned.

Even though the Met has assured that violence against women and girls is a priority, the Baroness said that the issue has not been “taken as seriously in terms of resourcing and prioritization.”

While the investigation was being carried out, another officer, David Carrick, was convicted of a series of rapes, sexual assaults and torture of women over 17 years.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said in a video statement that he “fully accepts” the “deeply troubling” findings of the in-depth investigation.

“The findings are brutal and I think they are accurate,” he added.

After the report came to light, British prime minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC on Tuesday that trust in the Met had been “hugely damaged” and added that changes were already underway.

“All police forces are checking all their officers again against the police database, and they’re all being inspected by the independent inspector of police forces,” Sunak said.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also told the BBC that Tuesday was “one of the darkest days in the 200-year history” of the city.

“We police by consent in our country. If the public has no confidence in the police they’re not going to come forward and report a crime,” Khan said.

“It’s in all of our interests to make sure that the police service changes, root and branch,” said Khan, who last year forced the resignation of then-commissioner Cressida Dick after losing confidence in her leadership following allegations of misogyny and sexism in the Met. EFE

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