"The home secretary is to order an independent special inquiry into whether the Metropolitan police allowed hundreds of recruits to join without proper vetting amid fears they may pose a criminal risk. The Guardian has learned that the inquiry will be carried out by the policing inspectorate, with concerns centred on 300 new officers hired between 2016 and 2023. The recruits may have had substandard or no vetting before joining the Met and gaining police powers."
"The Met is trying to show that its officers can be trusted after a series of scandals tarnished the reputation of Britain's largest police force. One officer, Wayne Couzens, who an inquiry found should never have been allowed into the force, abducted and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021. Another, David Carrick, used his position as a Met officer to instil fear in his female victims during a campaign of rape and sexual violence. Numerous complaints against him were not acted on."
The home secretary will order an independent inquiry by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services into whether the Metropolitan police allowed hundreds of recruits to join without proper vetting. The probe centres on about 300 officers hired between 2016 and 2023 who may have had substandard or no vetting before gaining police powers. Vetting should exclude applicants with convictions, cautions, criminal associations or integrity risks such as severe debt. An internal Met review, Operation Jorica, uncovered potential vetting failures and prompted urgent revetting of recruits appointed during the seven-year period under investigation. Officials, including the home secretary, have been informed.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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