Next Met Police boss is tasked with making force 'demonstrably more professional': Job advert for Cressida Dick's replacement says they need to bring in 'significant improvements' to 'restore public confidence' (and they'll take home £293,000 salary)

  • Scotland Yard have launched recruitment process for next Met Commissioner 
  • Advert says candidate will need to make force 'demonstrably more professional'
  • The end of Dame Cressida Dick's tenure was mired in several controversies]
  • Force was criticised for handling of Covid rules, the murder of Sarah Everard, messages between Charing Cross station officers and the Child Q fiasco 
  • Applications for the role, with a salary of £292,938, must be handed in by May 4

The job advert for the next Metropolitan Police Commissioner has gone live, and the successful candidate will be tasked with making the force 'demonstrably more professional'.

Scotland Yard are giving high-ranking officers from across the country, and possibly abroad, three weeks to submit their applications before being whittled down to find the next boss for 46,000 officers and staff.

Met chief Dame Cressida Dick left the job last week after five years, with her deputy Sir Stephen House temporarily taking the reins until a permanent successor is appointed in the summer.

Potential candidates for the post include former director general of the National Crime Agency Dame Lynne Owens and current Met Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes. 

The force has been mired in a series of incidents that have damaged public confidence, including deeply offensive messages shared by a team based at Charing Cross station and the strip-search of a black schoolgirl.

The race is on to replace Dame Cressida Dick (pictured) as head of the Metropolitan Police, with the successful candidate tasked with making the force 'demonstrably more professional'

The race is on to replace Dame Cressida Dick (pictured) as head of the Metropolitan Police, with the successful candidate tasked with making the force 'demonstrably more professional'

The advert for the £293,000 role states that it has become 'evident that significant and sustained improvements need to be made within the MPS to restore public confidence and legitimacy in the largest police force in the UK'

The advert for the £293,000 role states that it has become 'evident that significant and sustained improvements need to be made within the MPS to restore public confidence and legitimacy in the largest police force in the UK'

Dame Cressida admitted herself that Sarah Everard's rape and murder by then-serving police officer Wayne Couzens had brought 'shame' on the force and damaged public confidence in police. 

Britain's most senior officer also failed to get a grip on a culture of racism, sexism and bullying that has haunted Scotland Yard for years.

The advert for her replacement states that it has become 'evident that significant and sustained improvements need to be made within the MPS to restore public confidence and legitimacy in the largest police force in the UK.'

In continues: 'This will require inspirational leadership to deliver a demonstrably more professional police force, that better reflects the diversity of London itself.'

The Met has also been heavily criticised by watchdogs the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in recent months.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan will be able to advise on the decision regarding the next Met Police Commissioner, but the decision rests with Home Secretary Priti Patel. Pictured: Khan, Dick and Patel at a National Police Memorial Day service

London Mayor Sadiq Khan will be able to advise on the decision regarding the next Met Police Commissioner, but the decision rests with Home Secretary Priti Patel. Pictured: Khan, Dick and Patel at a National Police Memorial Day service

HMICFRS found that the Met's approach to tackling corruption was not fit for purpose, and described storage of evidence by some teams as 'dire' with drugs, jewellery and money going missing and guns not properly secured.

While the IOPC took the unusual step of publishing disturbing messages shared by the Charing Cross team - despite the fact that much of the content was too offensive to print in mainstream news coverage - as it detailed the 'disgraceful' behaviour of officers based in a now disbanded Westminster team between 2016 and 2018.

IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said that the issues raised were 'not isolated or historic'.

Two inquiries, set up in the wake of the murder of Miss Everard, are being held into culture at the Met - an internally-commissioned probe led by Baroness Louise Casey, and a Home Office commissioned inquiry by Dame Elish Angiolini.

'You will lead the service through significant change, role-modelling credible, visible and empowering leadership to address concerns around police conduct and tackling institutional culture.

The force has been mired in a series of incidents that have damaged public confidence, including deeply offensive messages shared by a team based at Charing Cross station and the strip-search of a black schoolgirl (pictured: Protests over Child Q)

The force has been mired in a series of incidents that have damaged public confidence, including deeply offensive messages shared by a team based at Charing Cross station and the strip-search of a black schoolgirl (pictured: Protests over Child Q)

The Metropolitan Police commissioner faced calls for her resignation earlier this year after women were arrested at a vigil that was held in memory of Miss Everard

The Metropolitan Police commissioner faced calls for her resignation earlier this year after women were arrested at a vigil that was held in memory of Miss Everard

Dame Cressida admitted herself that Sarah Everard 's rape and murder by then-serving police officer Wayne Couzens had brought 'shame' on the force and damaged public confidence in police

Dame Cressida admitted herself that Sarah Everard 's rape and murder by then-serving police officer Wayne Couzens had brought 'shame' on the force and damaged public confidence in police

In 2019, Dame Cressida¿s force was widely condemned for its ¿light-touch¿ policing of Extinction Rebellion protests, which blocked several key areas of London

In 2019, Dame Cressida's force was widely condemned for its 'light-touch' policing of Extinction Rebellion protests, which blocked several key areas of London

'The successful candidate will be responsible for re-establishing trust and confidence in policing amongst everyone living in London, particularly women and girls and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.'

The role, considered the most senior police rank in the country, has a salary of £292,938 - almost twice the size of the Prime Minister's packpacket. 

Applicants from UK forces must have served at the rank of constable in a UK police force and have held the rank of Assistant Chief Constable, Commander, or higher.

Applications for the position must be submitted by May 4 with no late entrees.

Candidates will then face tests and exercises before going in front of a selection panel led by Home Office Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft.

The successful candidate will receive a five-year fixed term appointment, although this can be extended by three years.

Dame Cressida left the police chief role five years to the day that she started, while of her predecessors were ousted before finishing their initial appointment.    

Who are the likely candidates to succeed Dame Cressida?

Neil Basu: Anti-terror chief who called for journalists to be prosecuted after publishing leaked cables criticising Trump 

Neil Basu, who has been at the Met for nearly 30 years

Neil Basu, who has been at the Met for nearly 30 years

Neil Basu is the Met's former head of counter-terrorism and the most senior serving British officer of Asian heritage.

He also served as the assistant commissioner for specialist operations until September 2021, which included responsibilities around national security, and had originally been tipped for the top job in 2017 before losing out to Dame Cressida.

In February this year, he called for laws in the Equality Act 2010 that restrict positive discriminations to be relaxed in order to boost the number of BAME recruits. He was immediately shot down by policing minister Kit Malthouse, while Home Secretary Priti Patel was also said to be against the idea.

Mr Basu faced fresh accusations of meddling in politics in July 2019, when he threatened to prosecute journalists for publishing leaked cables from Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch.

Former Tory cabinet minister David Davis said the intervention 'strayed well beyond his brief', and represented an attack on the free Press. 

A 2019 profile of Basu in the Mail On Sunday described him as well-liked within the force and by intelligence officials at MI5. But he has attracted criticism for some of his operational decisions, most notably as head of Operations Weeting, Elveden and Tuleta.

The three inquiries into phone hacking, computer hacking and alleged payments to police officers by newspapers cost around £19.5million and were criticised for criminalising journalists. 

He became a Met police officer in 1992, serving first as a beat bobby in Battersea, South London, then swiftly moving through the ranks as a borough commander in Barnet, North London, and a Commander of South London in 2012.

Andy Cooke: Former Merseyside chief who insists even violent criminals are 'not inherently bad people'             

Andy Cooke, who now serves with the police inspectorate

Andy Cooke, who now serves with the police inspectorate 

While head of Merseyside Police, Andy Cooke sparked anger when he said even violent criminals are 'not inherently bad people' and he'd rather pump billions into cutting poverty than upholding the law.

The officer, marking his retirement as Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, said if he was given a £5 billion budget to cut crime, he would spend £1 billion on crime and £4 billion on tackling poverty.

He now serves in the role of Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and Inspector of Fire and Rescue Authorities in England. He will be overseeing inspections primarily in the North of England.

Mr Cooke was chief constable for five years, during which time he has overseen the jailing of dozens of multi-millionaire drug lords, including Liverpool's most notorious drugs boss Liam 'the Lam' Cornett, who was transported to court in a huge armed convoy every day, and the jet-setting Mulhare brothers, who were caught abroad in Thailand after being informed on by a 'supergrass'. 

Under Mr Cooke, Merseyside Police gained a reputation for tough policing and for being a keen user of stop-and-search powers. He was also the first commander of Merseyside's Matrix unit, set up to tackle gang crime and violence.  

Simon Byrne: Top Northern Ireland cop 'with a reputation for being like Darth Vader' 

Simon Byrne became chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in May 2019

Simon Byrne became chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in May 2019

Simon Byrne became chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in May 2019, arriving at the force with 36 years of policing behind him. 

After holding senior roles at GMP and the Met, he became chief constable of Cheshire Police from 2014 to 2017. That role ended in controversial circumstances after he was accused of bullying and humiliating staff. 

A misconduct hearing was told he had a reputation for being like Darth Vader and treated junior officers and staff like 'roadkill'. 

However, he was cleared of misconduct, with the tribunal concluding that much of what was claimed was either exaggerated or most likely didn't happen. 

During his time as chief constable, Mr Byrne revealed he had considered breaking the law in order to hire more officers from ethnic minorities. At that time the force only had three black officers. 

He told the BBC in 2017 that the law should be changed in England 'for a certain period of time' to allow the hiring of minority candidates to speed up. This would ensure that 'for every white officer, we recruit one black officer.'

At PSNI he attracted controversy for suggesting the children of paramilitaries could be taken into care. 

He was also forced to apologise after tweeting a photo of himself with officers holding rifles outside a PSNI station on Christmas Day, the BBC reported. 

Martin Hewitt: NPCC chief who backed crackdown on Covid sceptics and said officers felt 'undervalued' amid pay row  

Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council

Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council

As chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) throughout the Covid crisis, Martin Hewitt has made a number of high-profile interventions in politics. 

Amid fury last year at officers being hit by a pay freeze, Mr Hewitt told Priti Patel that many officers believed the decision was 'unfair' and they felt 'undervalued' after their efforts during Covid.

Mr Hewitt said: 'For many it feels unfair and that their contribution is undervalued.' 

In January 2021, he backed a crackdown on lockdown sceptics and said officers would no longer 'waste time' trying to reason with them amid soaring death rates. 

Mr Hewitt was appointed in April 2019. He began his policing career with Kent Police in 1993 and transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service in 2005.

As an Assistant Commissioner for five years, he led frontline and local policing, specialist crime and professional standards. 

He led the national police response to adult sexual offences and kidnap between 2014 and 2019, and served as a Vice-Chair for the NPCC from 2015 before taking on the chairmanship. 

Matt Jukes: Assistant commissioner credited with leading crackdown on Rotherham child grooming gangs  

Matt Jukes: Assistant commissioner credited with leading crackdown on Rotherham child grooming gangs

Matt Jukes: Assistant commissioner credited with leading crackdown on Rotherham child grooming gangs

Matt Jukes joined South Yorkshire police in 1995 three years after graduating with a degree in mathematics from Oxford. 

He worked as a detective and rose through the ranks to represent UK police forces at G8 meetings and lead on national anti-terror strategy. 

Mr Jukes is best known for tackling Rotherham grooming gangs while borough commander in the Yorkshire town from 2006 to 2010. 

More than 1,000 children were exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, with local authorities, schools and police among agencies that failed to tackle the problem.

A report on the scandal by Professor Alexis Jay suggested that Mr Jukes' leadership marked a point where police became more proactive in dealing with the abuse.

After serving in South Yorkshire Police, he moved to South Wales, with the police and crime commissioner there Alun Michael backing him as an outstanding leader.

Mr Jukes worked his way up to the top post in South Wales Police, becoming Chief Constable in January 2018. He is also chairman of Police Sport UK.

Mr Jukes moved to the Met in November 2020. He was awarded a Queens Police Medal in the New Year Honours List 2018.

Dame Lynne Owens: Head of Britain's FBI who stepped down to fight breast cancer

Widely admired and was seen as the natural successor to the Yard top job until she retired on health grounds last autumn.

Dame Lynne led the National Crime Agency - dubbed 'Britain's FBI' - from 2016 until last October.

Seen as a safe pair of hands, and known to be a favourite officer of Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Dame Lynne, 53, has bravely written on social media of her mastectomy, radiotherapy and ongoing recovery. Whether she can be tempted back to such a high-pressure job will be a purely personal choice. 

The former chief constable of Surrey Police, who joined the Metropolitan Police service in 1989, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year but said she now requires more extensive surgery which would mean a longer period of time off work.

Sir Hugh Orde: 'The policeman's policeman' who 'loves the Met'

The 64-year-old retired officer was described as a 'policeman's policeman' by his team in Northern Ireland, where he was chief constable.

Orde joined the Met in 1977 and was posted to south London when he was made a sergeant in his early 20s. 

In the 1990s, he developed the force's race relations training. He then developed Operation Trident, the Met's successful initiative to take guns of the streets. He then served as chief constable of Northern Ireland between 2002 and 2009.

After losing out to Sir Paul Stephenson for the Met's top job in 2009, he was appointed president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, before retiring.

Describing his affinity with Scotland Yard he said: 'I've always loved the Met. In policing, it's one of the biggest challenges in the world'.

Sir Dave Thompson: Chief constable of West Midlands Police who appears to stepping down just at the right time

Earlier this year West Midlands Police Chief Constable Dave Thompson announced he will leave his position after the Commonwealth Games - saying it is 'time to go'.

The Chief Constable, who worked in the force for 12 years, said he wanted the force to have a fresh vision.

He confirmed plans to leave after the 2022 Commonwealth Games in August.

His decision to leave Britain's second force this year, could put him in a prime position for the top job at the Met.

The West Midlands' top cop said officers and wider society must be actively anti-racist and stand against misogyny after 'shocking' messages exchanged by Metropolitan Police officers were made public.

Speaking on the day he received his knighthood, chief constable Sir David Thompson said the conduct exposed by the national police watchdog should 'terrify us all'.

He was reacting to the publication of messages exchanged by some Met officers in WhatsApp groups and a Facebook chat group, which included multiple references to rape, violence against women, racist and homophobic abuse. 

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Shooting of unarmed Brazilian, Sarah Everard's murder, XR protests, Operation Midland and a culture of racism, sexism and bullying: The charge sheet of failure and incompetence that finally saw Teflon Dame Cressida Dick come unstuck

In the end, it is a wonder she survived in the job so long.

Only last year, her force was officially branded 'institutionally corrupt'. Incredibly, despite such a devastating finding, she did not resign.

Instead 'Teflon' Dame Cressida Dick has made a habit of trotting out humiliating apologies, for both recent and historical blunders, including admitting that the Sarah Everard debacle had brought 'shame' on the Metropolitan Police.

The daughter of two Oxford academics, Dame Cressida, 61, joined the Metropolitan Police in 1983 after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in agriculture and forest sciences. Apart from a six-year spell at Thames Valley Police, she has spent her entire policing career at Scotland Yard.

Her first arrest, which came in her very first beat patrol in London's Soho in 1983, was of a man using a screwdriver to jemmy open the coin box in a telephone kiosk.

Later, at Bramshill Police College in 1995, she was the only woman out of ten officers chosen for fast-track promotion training, but she has been determined that her sex would not define her.

Dame Cressida Dick¿s shock resignation marks the end of a controversial chapter in the history of the Metropolitan Police

Dame Cressida Dick's shock resignation marks the end of a controversial chapter in the history of the Metropolitan Police

Sir Steve House: Who is the Met's new top cop? 

Dame Cressida Dick will be succeeded by Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House, who is expected to take over the Partygate probe into events in Westminster during lockdown.

Sir Stephen, Police Scotland's former Chief Constable, had his own career mired in controversy after it was claimed he was effectively kicked out of the force after a botched investigation into a car crash saw a woman left inside her vehicle for three days before being found alive. 

Sir Stephen House

Sir Stephen House

Lamara Bell and John Yuill lay in their car for three days despite a member of the public calling Police Scotland's non-emergency line to report a damaged vehicle. Miss Bell was still alive when emergency services finally arrived, but later died in hospital. 

Police Scotland was eventually fined £100,000 for health and safety failures over the fatal crash last September. 

He stood down and retired in 2015 following the incident, but it was later claimed he was effectively sacked by Nicola Sturgeon over the incident, her former aide Noel Dolan wrote in a bombshell book last year. 

Sir Stephen has also faced criticism from Lib Dem MP and former police officer Wendy Chamberlain, who told the Evening Standard he was a 'completely unsuitable' candidate to lead the Met. 

'After so many scandals, the Met desperately needs strong new leadership to rebuild public trust.

'Putting it in the hands of someone who left his own trail of scandals in Police Scotland is not the way to do that.'

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The police chief was one of the first female undergraduates at Oxford's Balliol College in 1979. She always played cricket, football and rowed with 'the boys', saying it never bothered her. Later on, Dame Cressida was given time out to study for a qualification in criminology at Cambridge.

At the Metropolitan Police, she was given responsibility for Operation Trident – which investigated gun and gang crimes – counterterrorism, the 2012 London Olympics, and ended up as the country's principal hostage negotiator.

But since rising from an impressive rookie cop in the 1980s to the very top of British policing at the country's largest force, Dame Cressida has been embroiled in at least seven career-defining disasters.

The wonder is that the first of them didn't spell the end.

Tube death blunder

In July 2005, Dame Cressida was in charge of the operation which saw blameless electrician Jean Charles de Menezes shot dead on a Tube train at Stockwell station in south London after he was mistaken for a terrorist who was under surveillance. 

It almost finished her career, and she says she thinks about it 'very often'.

The armed officers believed him to be a fugitive suicide bomber who had escaped after failed attacks in London two weeks after the carnage of the 7/7 bombings. 

Dame Cressida was the 'gold commander' on the botched operation, and immediate lethal force – a shot to the head – was supposedly required because any other action risked setting off the suicide jacket. 

No officer, including Dame Cressida, faced any charges, and no one was reprimanded. 

The Met was found guilty of breaching health and safety laws and putting the public at risk, and was fined £175,000 and ordered to pay £385,000 costs from taxpayer funds. The Met chief was personally exonerated, but the shame of it lingered.

Operation Midland

In 2014, Dame Cressida sanctioned the creation of Operation Midland, a disastrous investigation into spurious VIP child sex abuse allegations that saw completely innocent men pursued by the force. 

Five years later, when the embarrassing operation began seriously unravelling, she refused to allow an inquiry into the conduct of officers involved.

This was despite former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques revealing how officers had used false evidence to obtain a search warrant for the raids. Dame Cressida said that an inquiry would be 'completely improper'.

Dame Cressida was also slammed by the families of victims of VIP paedophile ring fantasist Carl Beech, whose spurious allegations were investigated by police - ruining the lives and reputations of those he accused

Dame Cressida was also slammed by the families of victims of VIP paedophile ring fantasist Carl Beech, whose spurious allegations were investigated by police - ruining the lives and reputations of those he accused  

While some of her calamities pre-dated her stint as Commissioner, this one sat squarely within her reign. A report in 2020 found the Metropolitan Police was more interested in covering up mistakes than learning from them. 

The Hampshire home of the Queen's confidant, Lord Bramall – who was also former head of the Armed Forces – had been invaded by police with search warrants in the early hours on the basis of spurious allegations of abuse by paedophile Carl Beech, a palpable fantasist. 

After the Daily Mail exposed him, Beech was jailed. Before he died, D-Day hero Lord Bramall told his son Nick that 'he had never been so mortally wounded, even in battle'.

Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who received a substantial payout after his life was ruined by the disastrous paedophile inquiry, last night expressed his delight at Dame Cressida's downfall.

He was among seven high-profile victims of the Met – including Baroness Lawrence, whose son Stephen's 1993 murder investigation was botched by racist officers – who last year came together in a Mail interview to accuse Dame Cressida of having 'presided over a culture of incompetence'.

XR protests

In 2019, Dame Cressida's force was widely condemned for its 'light-touch' policing of Extinction Rebellion protests, which blocked several key areas of London.

Under her watch, career eco-activists from XR and its off-shoot Insulate Britain were given free rein to cause mayhem.

Ambulances were stopped from getting through, while businesses and workers were forced to halt their activities.

A low point came when police were filmed asking road-blocking protesters if they needed anything – rather than just arresting them.

In 2019, Dame Cressida¿s force was widely condemned for its ¿light-touch¿ policing of Extinction Rebellion protests, which blocked several key areas of London

In 2019, Dame Cressida's force was widely condemned for its 'light-touch' policing of Extinction Rebellion protests, which blocked several key areas of London

Daniel Morgan 

Perhaps the most jaw-dropping condemnation of Dame Cressida came in June of last year when an official report described her force as 'institutionally corrupt'.

And far from blaming the fiasco on a predecessor, it concluded that she had personally placed 'hurdles' in the way of a search for the truth about the death of Daniel Morgan – a private investigator who was brutally murdered in a south London pub car park in 1987.

Daniel Morgan, pictured, was investigating claims of corruption within the Metropolitan Police when he was murdered in 1987 - and the force failed him and his family ever since
His brother Alastair told the media today that Cressida Dick should resign

Daniel Morgan was investigating claims of corruption within the Metropolitan Police when he was murdered in 1987 - and the force failed him and his family ever since. His brother Alastair told the media that Cressida Dick should resign

Dame Cressida was accused of 'obfuscation' for thwarting the Morgan inquiry team's attempts to access sensitive documents, leading to delays that cost the taxpayer millions. The report by Baroness O'Loan found that Scotland Yard was 'institutionally corrupt'.

The Met has never found Mr Morgan's murderer, but there were long-standing allegations of police corruption over the killing and the aftermath.

Mr Morgan's brother Alastair also joined Baroness Lawrence, Harvey Proctor and Lord Bramall in a devastating and unprecedented joint interview with the Daily Mail.

They all signed a letter to the PM demanding Dame Cressida's resignation. Instead she clung on.

Sarah Everard 

The brutally horrific murder of Sarah Everard in March last year by serving Met firearms officer Wayne Couzens went from disastrous to worse for Dame Cressida. She faced a clamour to quit after he was exposed as the killer.

It then emerged Couzens had not been vetted properly and Met officers had failed to investigate after he was reported flashing women days before the murder.

But perhaps the worst moment for the Commissioner was her officers' heavy-handed policing of a vigil for the murdered woman at Clapham Common in South London. 

The news comes a week after Mr Khan said he was ¿not satisfied¿ with the Met's Commissioner¿s response to calls for change following a series of scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens
The news comes a week after Mr Khan said he was ¿not satisfied¿ with the Met's Commissioner¿s response to calls for change following a series of scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens

The news comes a week after Mr Khan said he was 'not satisfied' with the Met's Commissioner's response to calls for change following a series of scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens

The Metropolitan Police commissioner faced calls for her resignation earlier this year after women were arrested at a vigil that was held in memory of Miss Everard

The Metropolitan Police commissioner faced calls for her resignation earlier this year after women were arrested at a vigil that was held in memory of Miss Everard

Photographs of protesting women being pinned down by arresting officers who cited Covid restrictions on gatherings were published around the world, sparking condemnation.

When Couzens was convicted, it was dubbed Scotland Yard's 'darkest day'. Dame Cressida stood outside the Old Bailey and humbly admitted the murder had corroded trust in the police and brought 'shame' on her force.

Murder photos

In December last year, two Scotland Yard officers who took photos of the bodies of two murder victims were jailed. 

The sisters who died – Nicole Smallman, 27, and 46-year-old Bibaa Henry, were black and there were accusations of racism. 2021 was also the force's worst ever year for teenage killings, with 30 deaths.

Bibaa Henry, 46,  and Nicole Smallman, 27, who were stabbed to death in Wembley last year

Bibaa Henry, 46,  and Nicole Smallman, 27, who were stabbed to death in Wembley last year

 

Further mock-ups of messages sent by a male officer during another shocking conversation on WhatsApp

Further mock-ups of messages sent by a male officer during another shocking conversation on WhatsApp 

Charing Cross

Earlier this month, details emerged of horrific messages exchanged by officers at Charing Cross police station, by an official watchdog report.

Some 14 officers were investigated as a result, with two found to have a case to answer for gross misconduct.

One was sacked and another resigned before he would have been dismissed. Another two had already left, while in some of the other cases the Independent Office of Police Conduct found 'no further action should be taken'.

Incredibly, nine officers kept their jobs and two were promoted – but their sickening WhatsApp messages exposed an ongoing culture of racism, sexism and bullying.

It appears this sickening episode was the straw which finally broke the back. For, by the end, it was clear that confidence in the police chief had gone.

A 'toxic' culture existed at the Charing Cross Station dating back to 2006, said the former constable, who asked to be referred to by her first name, Liz

A 'toxic' culture existed at the Charing Cross Station dating back to 2006, said the former constable, who asked to be referred to by her first name, Liz

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