Reports indicate that the Metropolitan Police employed over 1,000 policemen without securing references prior to their commencement of duties.
The force failed to adequately verify references for a period of up to 18 months starting in 2020, and although some verifications occurred post-recruitment, sources indicate that many were neglected and effectively disregarded.
According to The Sunday Times, numerous recruiters are thought to have been hired after to the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021.
Last year, it was disclosed that a succession of deficiencies in recruitment and vetting procedures allowed Couzens to retain his position as a police officer despite escalating personal debt and an allegation of a sexual crime.
The disclosure may represent an additional obstacle for Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who has committed to eliminating corrupt police following the public outcry around Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick, also a serving Met officer.
The choice to forgo reference checks allegedly contravenes the official directives issued by the College of Policing.
According to the Sunday Times, Clare Davies, the head of human resources at the Met, choose to disregard the references or to obtain them retroactively in 2020.
The publication states that the program was implemented for a duration of 18 months, coinciding with Boris Johnson’s government’s objective to recruit an additional 20,000 police within three years.
The Met was instructed to recruit over 4,500 personnel but succeeded in enlisting only 3,468.
Recruits would have undergone scrutiny to ascertain any prior convictions or familial connections to criminal activity before to employment. The guidelines also require police departments to get character references from the past three years.
The loophole has recently emerged as the Metropolitan Police’s historical employment practices are under scrutiny.
Any shortcomings are anticipated to be referred to a public investigation chaired by Dame Elish Angiolini, established by the Home Office in response to the kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard by Couzens.
The Angiolini Inquiry previously outlined how warning signs were overlooked while Couzens was employed by three distinct police forces over multiple years.
Dame Elish expressed her astonishment upon discovering that Couzens would have successfully cleared the Metropolitan Police’s screening process, even if the force had been aware of a prior allegation of indecent exposure.
This occurred subsequent to a 2023 assessment by Baroness Casey, which characterised the Metropolitan Police as institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic.
Earlier this month, a High Court ruling virtually abolished the procedure for dismissing officers deemed unfit for vetting.
Sergeant Lino Di Maria effectively contested the revocation of his vetting, with the backing of the Metropolitan Police Federation, following charges of sexual assault, which he refutes.
Sir Mark characterised the verdict as placing policing in “an untenable position.”
Sir Mark stated that millions of pounds were being squandered on compensating executives he lacked the legal means to dismiss.
“It is an absurd expenditure of taxpayer funds to compensate an individual for remaining at home, as they will not be patrolling the streets or responding to your calls,” he stated.
The Metropolitan Police commenced an examination into claims involving officers and personnel following public indignation regarding Couzens and Carrick.
Operation Assure examined the vetting of officers and personnel in response to concerns regarding their conduct.
Operation Onyx examined all finalised sexual offence or domestic abuse cases involving police officers or staff members from April 2012 to April 2022, in which the allegations did not result in their dismissal.
Currently, 29 officers have had their vetting revoked and are on paid leave, while 96 have been terminated or have resigned.
Maintaining officers and personnel on compensated special vetting leave is estimated to incur a minimum annual expense of £2 million.
In response to deficiencies in reference checks, the Metropolitan Police informed the Sunday Times: “Londoners justifiably anticipate the utmost standards from our officers and staff, and we have reformed our vetting and professional standards procedures as part of our ‘New Met for London’ initiative.”
“We are enhancing our strategy, incorporating insights from the investigations conducted by Baroness Casey and Dame Elish Angiolini.”
“We have appointed additional vetting officers, implemented a new force policy and decision-making framework, and invested in advanced technology to ensure that only individuals of the highest standards serve in the Met.”
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