Met vetting failings saw over 130 officers commit crimes or misconduct
A damning review reveals serious vetting failures leading to public trust concerns
More than 130 Metropolitan Police officers and staff, including two serial rapists, were able to commit crimes or misconduct due to improper vetting procedures, a newly published review has revealed.
David Carrick, one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders, was among those identified as benefiting from serious lapses in vetting. Carrick was not properly checked in 2017, letting him slip through safety nets even after previous allegations of domestic abuse had been raised against him.
Cliff Mitchell, another officer highlighted in the review, joined the force in 2020 after a vetting panel overturned a decision to reject him, despite him facing earlier accusations of child rape. Mitchell carried out what has been described as a nine-year "campaign of rape" against two individuals.
Details of 131 cases emerged following a review of Metropolitan Police vetting processes spanning a decade up to March 2023. The review uncovered a concerning series of failings which allowed thousands of officers and personnel to bypass thorough checks, potentially hiring individuals unsuitable for the role.
Failings during national recruitment drive
The report highlighted that during a nationwide recruitment campaign between July 2019 and March 2023, the Met Police neglected national vetting standards. This was in response to a government push to recruit 20,000 officers rapidly to fill gaps left by austerity cuts, with funding tied to recruitment targets.
These compromises included skipping essential checks, such as references and Ministry of Defence records, transferring officers without renewing vetting, dismissing the need for Special Branch counter-terrorism checks over a period, and bypassing time-consuming security clearance procedures for police recruits.
Out of over 27,000 applications reviewed, the Met estimates that around 1,200 recruits would have failed vetting under normal practices. Furthermore, 17,355 officers and staff had their references either not properly checked or overlooked entirely from 2018 to April 2022.
What changes are happening now?
The review acknowledged that improper recruitment and vetting practices significantly contributed to incidents where some staff engaged in criminal behaviour or misconduct, further eroding public confidence in the organisation.
In September 2022, current Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley took over and introduced measures aimed at cleaning up the force. This has led to the dismissal of 1,500 officers, showing a concerted effort toward reform.
As part of these developments, the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has directed His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to investigate vetting practices across other police forces in England and Wales. This action follows concerns raised in a 2022 national report about widespread issues in vetting across several forces.
Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams emphasised the Met’s commitment to rectifying past mistakes: “In publishing this report today, we are being open and transparent about past vetting and recruitment practices that led, in some cases, to unsuitable people joining the Met."
She added that new procedures aligned with strengthened hiring and vetting standards have now been implemented to restore public trust in the force.