Met officer has 20 ‘live’ misconduct cases

By Joe Talora, Local Democracy Reporter

A serving Met officer is the subject of 20 ongoing misconduct cases, new figures have revealed.

The officer is one of 142 serving officers to have multiple “live” misconduct cases open against them, while there are 19 former officers with multiple ongoing misconduct cases.

The figures were revealed by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in a written response to a question from Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell.

Responding to the figures, Ms Russell said: “At a time when confidence in the Met is low, seeing this many open misconduct cases against serving officers is staggering.

“The worrying number of cases must be investigated thoroughly and fairly, and I will continue to raise this issue and hold the Met to account. Londoners must be able to trust the police service that is supposed to be keeping us all safe.”

It is unclear which of the 142 officers, if any, have been suspended. A spokesman said suspension was dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

The figures were released just days before the Met launched a new hotline for people to anonymously report officers for corruption, abuse or breaches of trust and power in a bid to improve trust and confidence.

Mr Khan said the new hotline would “will help to remove anyone who brings the Met into disrepute” and that it “sends a clear message that the integrity of those who serve can never be compromised”.

A spokesman for the Met said: “People rightly expect us to uphold the highest standards but, as the Commissioner has previously said, our organisation is being undermined by corrupting behaviours that have gone unchallenged and been allowed to multiply.

“We will be using data to look at patterns — of conduct, behaviour and complaints — so we can identify officers who pose a risk and intervene early.”

(Picture: The Met)