MET Police vetting catastrophe is another example of the fall of the The Force
Yet more revelations have uncovered how the force deliberately relaxed vetting procedures to meet ambitious recruitment targets, allowing rapists and other criminals to join their ranks unchecked.
In a shocking expose that has rocked public trust in London’s Metropolitan Police (MET), between 2018 and 2023, amid a Conservative government push to hire over 4,500 additional officers, the MET bypassed critical checks for thousands of recruits and serving personnel. This included skipping references for 17,355 individuals, ignoring Special Branch and Ministry of Defence records for thousands more, and even automatically approving transfers from other forces without renewed scrutiny. The consequences? More than 130 officers and staff went on to commit serious misconduct, including sexual offences, racism, violence, and drug misuse.
High profile cases underscore the human cost. Serial rapist David Carrick, who joined in 2001 and served as an armed officer until 2021, slipped through due to vetting errors that missed prior domestic abuse allegations, he’s now serving 37 life sentences. Even more egregiously, Cliff Mitchell was initially rejected in 2020 over a child rape accusation but had his refusal overturned by a vetting panel focused on “workforce disproportionality.” He joined the force and was later convicted of multiple rapes, including of a child under 13. An internal review estimates that 1,500 individuals might not have been hired with proper checks, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has branded this a “dereliction of duty” to keep London safe, ordering an independent inspection.
Women’s safety charity Refuge has slammed these failures, warning that they erode confidence in policing and heighten risks for women and girls amid rising violence against them (VAWG). They call for urgent reforms, including automatic suspensions for officers under VAWG investigations and robust ongoing vetting.
This scandal isn’t isolated, it’s part of a broader pattern of systemic issues plaguing UK policing in recent years.
The Sarah Everard Tragedy Should Never Have Happened
The 2021 rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard by serving MET officer Wayne Couzens remains a stark symbol of how vetting lapses can lead to preventable horrors. Couzens, who had a history of indecent exposure and other red flags, abused his police authority to falsely arrest Everard under the guise of COVID restrictions while she walked home in South London. He kidnapped, raped, and strangled her, then burned her body.
Investigations revealed Couzens had exposed himself multiple times before the murder, including at a drive-through, but wasn’t caught despite using his own car. His crimes were “grotesque” and premeditated, involving hired cars, police kit, and deliberate hunting for a victim. Everard’s family described the “brutality and terror” as haunting. Lead detective Katherine Goodwin recalled the shock of discovering the perpetrator was a fellow officer. This wasn’t just a rogue cop, it exposed how inadequate checks allowed predators to wield power, fuelling calls for cultural overhaul in the MET.
Police Complicity in Grooming Gangs Cover-Up
In a damning admission during a 2025 parliamentary debate on child rape gangs, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips revealed she had long known of police involvement in covering up, and even perpetrating, the gang rape of schoolgirls.
“I would be lying if I said that over the years I had not met girls who talked to me about how Police were part of not just the cover-up but the perpetration.” Jess Phillips MP
She acknowledged a “cover-up” driven by “multicultural reasons,” where authorities turned a blind eye to protect community relations, allowing thousands of young girls to be systematically raped over years.
The scandal, linked to cases in Rochdale, Rotherham, Oxford, and Telford, involved perpetrators like Shabir Ahmed (a welfare officer) and Mohammed Karrar, who inflicted unimaginable torture on victims as young as 12. Reports like the Casey inquiry highlighted institutional failures to protect children from exploitation, with police and councils prioritising optics over justice. Phillips’s late admission has been criticised as “far too late,” especially given ongoing demands for national inquiries. This complicity not only betrayed victims but perpetuated a culture where predators operated with impunity.
Honouring Chiefs Who Promote Discrimination
Amid pushes for diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI), some police leaders have openly admitted to discriminatory hiring practices and then rewarded for it. In the 2026 New Year’s Honours, Chief Constable Jo Farrell of Police Scotland received the King’s Police Medal for her distinguished career, despite broader controversies in DEI recruitment. Police chiefs have acknowledged slow progress on diversity, with figures like Ian Hopkins noting historical mistrust in black communities.
However, accusations of “racist” policies have surfaced, with one chief constable Jon Robins supporting legal changes to bolster DEI by effectively stopping white people from getting jobs to meet targets. He was also Honoured for his work in 2026. The NPCC’s diversity committee, chaired by a chief constable, oversees strategies that have led to over representation concerns and barriers for majority groups. Reports like the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities highlight the need for balanced recruitment, warning against pessimism bias in identity politics that prioritises lived experience over data. Honouring such figures raises questions about whether DEI efforts are fostering true equity or reverse discrimination.
Police Implement A Free Speech Crackdown: Airport Arrests and Midnight Visits Over Posts
UK police have increasingly policed online speech, leading to bizarre overreaches. Irish comedian Graham Linehan, not even a British citizen, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in 2025 upon returning from the US, over X posts mocking transgender activists that was deemed “inciting violence.” Met by five armed officers, Linehan (co-creator of “Father Ted”) was detained, searched, and bailed with a ban on posting, sparking outcry from figures like J.K. Rowling and MPs as a free speech assault.
Even more chilling are midnight visits for “hurty words.” In 2025, a man was arrested at 9:30 PM for an anti-Hamas meme containing profanities, labeled a hate crime. A mother with an autistic child faced police at 2 AM demanding she delete social media videos that “caused anxiety.” An American woman in Britain received a home visit over posts deemed offensive. These incidents highlight skewed priorities: while serious crimes like burglaries go without investigation, speech is policed aggressively, evoking Orwellian fears.
These revelations and patterns paint a troubling picture of UK policing.
We need to go back to basic policing to the highest level. Forget DEI. Scrap NCHI. Police crimes not hurty words. Attract morally outstanding officers, respected members of their communities. Dump targets based on age, sex, race and colour - it’s best person for the job, always. Grow a backbone and police one and all the same. We used to do that and be the envy of the world.