By Ross Lydall

Copyright standard

Anti-corruption officers with experience of counter-terrorism investigations are being used to root out racist colleagues who are like a “cancer” in the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley has said.

The Met commissioner said the revelations in a BBC Panorama documentary about officers at Charing Cross police station were “ghastly”, “reprehensible” and “horrific” and vowed to “dig deeper into those tumours that are buried in the organisation”.

This would involve the use of AI technology to “spot patterns of misbehaviour” by scanning officers’ work phones and working practices.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the behaviour of the officers was “shocking”.

He said: “I’ve not yet seen the footage, but I’ve had it described to me, and it’s shocking, and I’m glad the commissioner is responding. He needs to be very robust in his response.”

Sir Mark, speaking on LBC radio on Thursday, again refused to accept that the Met was institutionally racist, saying it was more important to focus on actions in response to the revelations: “The words I use are not that important.”

The documentary included footage gathered by an undercover reporter in which serving officers called for immigrants to be shot, revelled in the use of force and were dismissive of rape claims in a domestic violence case.

Nine serving officers, one ex-officer and a designated detention officer are all under investigation for gross misconduct, over allegations of use of excessive force and making discriminatory and misogynistic comments, and failing to report or challenge inappropriate behaviour.

Sir Mark first learned of the contents of the documentary on September 9, when Panorama sent a 13-page letter to the Met that included many of the quotes that were broadcast on Wednesday night.

He said the IOPC, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, had requested access to all footage shot by Panorama. Its reporter Rory Bibb spent seven months working undercover as a detention officer at Charing Cross police station.

Sir Mark said he hoped to “fast-track” the sacking of the officers involved within “a few weeks”, but admitted this would only be possible if there was “incontrovertible evidence” of wrongdoing – though he suggested some of the clips broadcast by the BBC justified dismissal.

He said officers with experience of counter-terrorism would be involved in hunting down rogue officers, but insisted this would not impact on the work of the Met’s counter terror unit.

He said that almost 1,500 officers and staff had been removed from the Met in his three years as commissioner, under what he described as “the biggest anti-corruption clear-out in history”.

It is possible that the IOPC could take tougher action against officers already facing sanctions, now that fuller details of their behaviour has come to light.

Sir Mark said: “You can be rest assured that we are relentless in rooting out these characters. You can trust the vast majority of great men and women who are out there to protect you and serve.”

But Zoe Garbett, a Green party member of the London Assembly and the Green candidate in the 2024 London mayoral elections, called for Sir Mark’s immediate resignation.

“The Commissioner is in denial and is still blaming ‘bad apples’ instead of recognising the deep-rooted institutional problems the Met is riddled with,” she said.

“He has no idea how to fix the rot inside the Met and has proven he’s not capable of leading them out of this crisis. He must resign today.”

In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, that was apparently written straight after he watched the documentary, Sir Mark said it contained “appalling, potentially criminal, behaviour from officers, that lets down our communities and will cause Londoners to question if they are safe in our custody, and whether they would be believed and respected as victims of crime”.

He added: “It’s my expectation that for those involved, where there is incontrovertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim sentiment or bragging about excessive use of force, they will be put on a fast-track hearing within weeks and on a path to likely dismissal. We stand ready to work with the IOPC to make this happen.

“Within 48 hours of the letter being received, nine officers and one staff member had been suspended, with two more officers being removed from frontline duties.

“The Met and the IOPC have both asked the BBC to share any further information they hold to support the investigation.

“This has not yet been forthcoming, but we are hopeful that now the programme has aired that the BBC will ensure that any relevant material they hold is shared with the IOPC and the Met without delay.

“The broadcast tonight was the first time that the Met and IOPC have seen the transmission – we expect that the IOPC will now consider whether any of the initial misconduct or criminal assessments need revising as part of their investigation.”

He said there were “clearly deep-rooted issues related to Charing Cross” police station.

As a result, 34 dedicated detention officers have been immediately moved to alternative custody sites.

All 16 Charing Cross custody sergeants were removed from their positions and posted to other non-custody jobs. These officers are being closely monitored.

Inspectors based in Charing Cross custody have been removed and replaced.

The Met is also making senior leadership changes at the wider Central West BCU, which covers Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham boroughs. This includes movement of Chief Inspectors and Superintendents.

In addition, all custody sergeants who have been in post for more than two years will be moved to new stations.

Sir Mark told the Home Secretary and mayor: “The events unveiled at Charing Cross show that our work is far from complete, and for the appalling behaviour displayed, which damages the trust our communities put into the Met, we are truly sorry.”