The Metropolitan Police: A Barrel That's Still Rotten?
The Metropolitan Police seems to be stuck in an endless cycle of scandal, apology, and hollow reform...
At least since the Stephen Lawrence case in the early 1990s every few years, another exposé reveals the same thing: a toxic culture of misogyny, racism, and impunity at the heart of London policing. And every few years, the same promises follow — “root and branch reform,” “a new culture,” “restoring public trust.”
And here we are again....
Disturbing Police Views in SouthLondon
A recent BBC Panorama documentary exposed racism and misogyny within the Charing Cross police. Secret filming revealed that serving officers still make racist and misogynistic remarks, mock victims, and laugh about brutality.
One officer described Muslims as "terrorists"; another dismissed rape complaints as "attention seeking".
And once again, the problem is not "a few bad apples" — it's the whole barrel. When misconduct of this nature becomes normalised, the institution itself is the problem.
Empty Promises and Institutional Failure
I've been teaching the issue of police racism and sexism for years now, and honestly the sheer amount of evidence over the years.
I mean things used to be extremely Overt in the 1980s, there's even on Panorama (I think) documentary in which a senior police officer thinks it's OK for police officers to use the word nigger.
And ever since Stephen Lawrence, the evidence of police racism is there in every form.... the stop and search stats, undercover documentaries, interviews and the various independent reviews, the latest by Baroness Casey in 2023 found the Met to be “institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic.”
Today, many of her recommendations remain unimplemented.
A Crisis of Trust
According to a 2020 YouGov poll only a third of Londoners expect the police to treat people fairly, and this figure is lower amongst minority groups.
Some campaigners believe the Met is now too big and too broken to fix. The idea of disbanding it-as was once proposed for the Royal Ulster Constabulary-no longer sounds unthinkable.
What to do...?
Something needs to happen, Londoners don't trust the MET and it's much more difficult to do policing without trust!
I guess also even more effort needs to be made to attract ethnic minority police officers...
But I guess that's a catch 22 situation right there!?!
Ethnic Minority Police officers might be a way to help but still could be an avenue to catch the racists (if it's only in the lower ranks)
Police distrust happens everywhere I think, I believe the problem is the place of power that goes into most policemen heads.
In my country they are prime bullies, extortionists and daylight criminals.
I think there's been a problem there since at least the Sixties and probably even before. But they're not alone are they?
Who would encourage Black people and women into the Met? Only someone with a warped sense of humour.