Metropolitan Police need more than a change of leader

The Metropolitan Police have never been far from the headlines recently. Met Commissioner Cressida Dick stood down, after London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed his displeasure at performance. There have been a series of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving policeman, the subsequent mishandling of a peaceful demonstration concerning her death, the poor investigation and subsequent promotion of some of the officers involved concerning the Stephen Port case and the taking and circulation of pictures taken of two dead young women by police officers. In the Port case the Met has been accused of institutional homophobia, over the investigation of the murders of four men. 17 officers from the case were cleared of misconduct, whilst 7 have been promoted. Finally, came the revelations of the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation into Charing Cross Police Station, which found unacceptable exchanges revealing homophobic, racist and sexist attitudes. These events are no doubt just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to abuses. More will be needed to address such a dysfunctional culture than just changing the leader. Part of the problem generally is the impunity that has surrounded the police generally, a feeling of being above the law. There have been numerous deaths in custody and miscarriages of justice over recent decades, yet no police officers have been held to account - indeed some, as in the Port case, have been promoted. There is an ongoing inquiry at the moment into police who went undercover to infiltrate peace and environmental groups. Some of these officers had relationships and children with the women concerned. How can this be justified on any level? What is needed is root and branch reform. The whole culture needs to change. There needs to be a careful examination of recruitment methods to ensure the right type of people are joining the police. Equality must be a watchword. Once recruited, the formation of officers needs to change. The canteen culture, that can result in misdemeanours being covered up and whistleblowers ostracised, has to change. Policing needs to reconnect with communities, with proper resourcing being provided for effective community policing. Policing in the UK has been at its most effective when based on consent. Consent is the basic rubrick of British policing - something that has come under severe pressure as a result of recent events. Yes, the police need more resources to do the job. The cuts of thousands of officers over recent years, whilst demands on policing have risen has not helped. But the police do not help themselves, with operations like the undercover operations against protesters - who thought this was a good use of resources? Also, there are those who are looking to completely privatise policing, an aim no doubt helped by recent scandals. So there is much reform needed to get the accountable police service we require for the 21st century. That said, let's not forget the great job done by most police officers, their heroic efforts, together with other frontline services, during the pandemic. Also, don't expect too much, the police are in many instances social refuse collectors. Their role may be expanding from this limited definition but it is unreasonable to look to the police to solve social problems. The police service though needs reform, resourcing and support if it is to regain its former position of trust in society. In order to reach that goal, there will need to be a whole shift of culture, not just a change of leader.