The Metropolitan Police will “return” to responding to all allegations of burglaries in London, according to the incoming commissioner.
Sir Mark Rowley stated that the crime was “too grave an intrusion” not to investigate.
He deemed it unacceptable that just fifty percent of reported burglaries were attended to by a police officer.
As part of his intentions to regain public trust following a string of scandals, he stated that he will root out “racists and misogynists” within the Met.
Sarah Everard was raped and murdered by an off-duty police officer, while two others photographed the remains of Biba Henry and Nicole Smallman.
In addition, there has been outrage over racist, sexist, and homophobic messages shared between 2016 and 2018 by a group of officers based at the Charing Cross police station, as well as questions raised over the force’s approach to tackling corruption and its use of stop and search, as well as ongoing investigations into deaths following police contact, including that of Chris Kaba, who was shot by an officer.
The Met was placed under special measures by the police watchdog in June for failing to identify repeat victims and responding slowly to 999 calls, as well as for failing to identify repeat victims.
Sir Mark told that he hoped to be able to demonstrate to the public that progress had been made in critical areas within 100 days and to remove the force from special measures within 12 to 18 months.
This included a focus on burglaries.
“We will return to the scene of every residential break-in,” he added, adding that the force has the means to keep its promise.
The public understands that we cannot respond to every single incident, but a serious offense like burglary requires a robust police reaction. “The intrusion is too significant for no one to show up,” he stated.
“We recently dropped as low as 50% on this, which is unacceptable.
‘Angry but productive’
“Therefore, this is the first step towards becoming more dependable, coupled with putting additional cops in neighborhoods, which the public will observe in the coming year.”
Sir Mark added that the force must be “ruthless in rooting out those undermining the organization’s credibility; the racists and misogynists.”
Unless leadership, culture, processes, technology, and resources are aligned to make it happen, a wish does not become a reality, and it has not become a reality.
Sir Mark Rowley told that more than one individual has questioned his sanity for wanting to become the new police commissioner, given that the police service has been placed in special measures and public trust has been undermined by several scandals.
He has acknowledged that there is an enormous amount of work to be done, ranging from addressing the fundamentals of policing – with pledges of extra officers on London’s streets and a response to every burglary – to weeding out corrupt cops.
However, it is yet unclear how he would accomplish this, how whistleblowers will be protected, and whether he will be granted the additional powers he has requested to enable him to have the ultimate say and remove corrupt officers.
Sir Mark has suggested that he is eager to hear from Londoners who feel let down by the Metropolitan Police Department and to listen to what he calls “constructive fury” to assist the department to evolve. These will not be simple chats.
Will it be sufficient to restore public confidence? These are lofty assertions made by a commissioner who purports to be on a mission for change.
The specifics of how and when this shift will occur are not yet known.
He continued, “Everyone deserves an opportunity to make an honest mistake, but we can all distinguish between an honest error and corrosive and corrupt behavior.”
He stated that the organization had failed both the public and its employees, the “vast majority who come to work and do amazing things for the public every day, but have been let down by their colleagues who have not been dealt with firmly and by not being set up properly to succeed in their jobs. This is what I am attempting to address.
Sir Mark, stated that the Met is also assessing its recruiting and screening methods, adding, “I want to communicate with the individuals who are furious but constructive because they want police to succeed.
I don’t want to speak with those who are more concerned with their position or politics; I want to speak with those who are genuinely concerned with policing.
“I don’t care how upset they are; I want to speak with them if they’re willing to help me fix the problem.”
