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Telegraph
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Civil servants ‘dragging feet' to blame for police vetting row, Met chief says
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has blamed civil servants for 'dragging their feet' and failing to give the force powers to sack rogue officers. Sir Mark Rowley blamed Home Office officials for leaving policing 'stuck' and unable to legally remove those serving who failed their re-vetting. He said the force would be appealing Sir Mark said he had repeatedly called for the Government to give him greater legal powers to act, rather than rely on removing vetting clearance. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Throughout this whole process, I've seen complete commitment and support from Suella Braverman, James Cleverly and Yvette Cooper to get this fixed. 'I'm disappointed that officials – civil servants – dragged their feet. 'It's only in the last few days they've actually started listening to us about what's required to fix this, so that we can deal expeditiously and properly with people who are not fit to wear the uniform.' Asked if it was a failure of his leadership to rid the force of officers in question, he said: 'It's a failure of the Home Office officials to sort the regulations out.' In the wake of the violent, sexual crimes of But on Tuesday Sgt Lino Di Maria won a legal challenge against the force over its 'unlawful' decision to strip him of his warrant card after he was accused of sexual assault. There are about 300 individuals who are having their vetting reviewed under Operation Assure, 107 of whom have been dismissed. 'Waste of taxpayers' money' Sir Mark insisted that despite the High Court ruling, officers who He added: 'Regardless of the legal ruling, those that we have concerns about, even if we can't dismiss them, they'll be on special leave, they will be sitting at home. 'It's a ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money paying someone to sit at home, but they won't be policing the streets, they won't be attending your calls.' He said it could cost 'millions of pounds', which 'depends on how long this takes to fix' and called on the situation to be sorted in 'weeks'. The Met has 29 officers and staff on special vetting leave who, Sir Mark said, are 'almost entirely men', and most of the cases relate 'to sexually bad attitudes towards women and girls, He added: 'You would've hoped this would have been dealt with previously if people have been pushing for the rules to be changed for 20-odd years. Policing has been stuck.' Met sources have suggested the ruling could leave the force with a bill of £50 million if it has to reinstate and pay officers who have had their vetting clearance removed. In November, Sir Mark warned he could be
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Civil servants ‘dragging feet' to blame for police vetting row, Met chief says
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has blamed civil servants for 'dragging their feet' and failing to give the force powers to sack rogue officers. Sir Mark Rowley blamed Home Office officials for leaving policing 'stuck' and unable to legally remove those serving who failed their re-vetting. He said the force would be appealing Tuesday's High Court ruling which found it was 'unlawful' for the Met to strip an officer of his warrant card after an allegation of sexual assault. Sir Mark said he had repeatedly called for the Government to give him greater legal powers to act, rather than rely on removing vetting clearance. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Throughout this whole process, I've seen complete commitment and support from Suella Braverman, James Cleverly and Yvette Cooper to get this fixed. 'I'm disappointed that officials – civil servants – dragged their feet. 'It's only in the last few days they've actually started listening to us about what's required to fix this, so that we can deal expeditiously and properly with people who are not fit to wear the uniform.' Asked if it was a failure of his leadership to rid the force of officers in question, he said: 'It's a failure of the Home Office officials to sort the regulations out.' In the wake of the violent, sexual crimes of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, Sir Mark ordered the re-vetting of serving police officers and staff. But on Tuesday Sgt Lino Di Maria won a legal challenge against the force over its 'unlawful' decision to strip him of his warrant card after he was accused of sexual assault. There are about 300 individuals who are having their vetting reviewed under Operation Assure, 107 of whom have been dismissed. Sir Mark insisted that despite the High Court ruling, officers who could not lawfully be sacked will not be 'policing the streets'. He added: 'Regardless of the legal ruling, those that we have concerns about, even if we can't dismiss them, they'll be on special leave, they will be sitting at home. 'It's a ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money paying someone to sit at home, but they won't be policing the streets, they won't be attending your calls.' He said it could cost 'millions of pounds', which 'depends on how long this takes to fix' and called on the situation to be sorted in 'weeks'. The Met has 29 officers and staff on special vetting leave who, Sir Mark said, are 'almost entirely men', and most of the cases relate 'to sexually bad attitudes towards women and girls, violence towards women and girls'. He added: 'You would've hoped this would have been dealt with previously if people have been pushing for the rules to be changed for 20-odd years. Policing has been stuck.' Met sources have suggested the ruling could leave the force with a bill of £50 million if it has to reinstate and pay officers who have had their vetting clearance removed. In November, Sir Mark warned he could be forced to cut 2,300 officers and 400 staff in 2025 owing to a £450 million shortfall in its finances. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Independent
12-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Rowley: Officials ‘dragging feet' over calls for powers to sack rogue officers
The head of Britain's biggest police force blamed Home Office officials for failing to give him stronger powers to sack rogue officers. The Metropolitan Police is set to challenge a High Court ruling that it cannot sack officers by removing their vetting clearance. Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley said he had been lobbying the Government to give him a different mechanism to sack officers who were unfit to wear the uniform. He said successive home secretaries had promised action but 'I could see officials were being slow and not getting on with it'. He said that left him with 'no choice but to use the existing regulations and what is a very, very untested process, so I always knew we'd be legally challenged'. Sir Mark told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Throughout this whole process, I've seen complete commitment and support from Suella Braverman, James Cleverly and Yvette Cooper to get this fixed. 'I'm disappointed that officials have dragged their feet.' He added: 'It's only in the last few days they've actually started listening to us about what's required to fix this, so that we can deal expeditiously and properly with people who aren't fit to wear the uniform.' The Home Office insisted it was 'acting rapidly' to introduce new rules to help forces sack officers who could not hold vetting – an official system used to assess someone's suitability to work for the police. Throughout this whole process, I've seen complete commitment and support from Suella Braverman, James Cleverly and Yvette Cooper to get this fixed. I'm disappointed that officials have dragged their feet Sir Mark Rowley Without a legal mechanism to sack them, Sir Mark said millions of pounds was being wasted paying officers he cannot get rid of. 'It's a ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money paying someone (to) sit at home, but they won't be policing the streets, they won't be attending your calls,' he said. The Met began reviewing allegations against officers and staff in the wake of public outrage over Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, who committed violent sexual crimes while serving as Met officers. The first, Operation Assure, looked at the vetting of officers and staff where concerns had been raised about their behaviour. The second, Operation Onyx, looked at every completed sexual offence or domestic abuse case involving a police officer or staff member between April 2012 and April 2022, where the allegation did not lead to them being sacked. There are currently 29 officers who have had their vetting removed who remain on paid leave, and 96 who have been sacked or resigned. It is thought that keeping officers and staff on paid special vetting leave will cost at least £2 million per year. If the Met is forced to reinstate another 24 officers previously sacked for failing to meet vetting standards, this cost could be as high as £7 million per year. But Tuesday's High Court judgment effectively removed a mechanism to sack officers who were not fit to hold vetting. Sergeant Lino Di Maria successfully mounted a legal challenge, supported by the Metropolitan Police Federation, after having his vetting removed over sexual assault allegations, which he denies. He was found to have no case to answer in respect of misconduct allegations, and argued that having his vetting removed without the accusations being proved is a breach of his right to a fair trial. Sgt Di Maria – who joined the force in 2004 – was accused of rape in 2019, and a second allegation was made in 2021, with the incident said to have happened in 2015. A complaint was also made in 2021 that the officer had been inappropriate towards female colleagues. No criminal charges were brought because of insufficient evidence, and Sgt Di Maria was found to have no case to answer for misconduct. A Home Office spokesman said: 'It is essential for public confidence in policing that the strictest standards are upheld and maintained. Individuals who fall below the high standards the public expects should not be police officers. 'That's why this Government is acting rapidly to introduce new, strengthened rules that will help forces dismiss officers who cannot maintain vetting clearance. 'There are clear processes already in place for forces to deal with any officer found facing allegations of misconduct, and it is critical that they use these to remove personnel who clearly fall short of the standards that we and the public expect.' In the ruling on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Lang found that Scotland Yard cannot lawfully dismiss officers by withdrawing their vetting clearance. She continued: 'Dismissal is a matter which should be provided for in regulations made by the Secretary of State… This results in an anomalous situation where officers who do not have basic vetting clearance cannot be dismissed by the defendant. 'In my view, that anomaly could and should be resolved by regulations.'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rowley: Officials ‘dragging feet' over calls for powers to sack rogue officers
The head of Britain's biggest police force blamed Home Office officials for failing to give him stronger powers to sack rogue officers. The Metropolitan Police is set to challenge a High Court ruling that it cannot sack officers by removing their vetting clearance. Scotland Yard chief Sir Mark Rowley said he had been lobbying the Government to give him a different mechanism to sack officers who were unfit to wear the uniform. He said successive home secretaries had promised action but 'I could see officials were being slow and not getting on with it'. He said that left him with 'no choice but to use the existing regulations and what is a very, very untested process, so I always knew we'd be legally challenged'. Sir Mark told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Throughout this whole process, I've seen complete commitment and support from Suella Braverman, James Cleverly and Yvette Cooper to get this fixed. 'I'm disappointed that officials have dragged their feet.' He added: 'It's only in the last few days they've actually started listening to us about what's required to fix this, so that we can deal expeditiously and properly with people who aren't fit to wear the uniform.' The Home Office insisted it was 'acting rapidly' to introduce new rules to help forces sack officers who could not hold vetting – an official system used to assess someone's suitability to work for the police. Without a legal mechanism to sack them, Sir Mark said millions of pounds was being wasted paying officers he cannot get rid of. 'It's a ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money paying someone (to) sit at home, but they won't be policing the streets, they won't be attending your calls,' he said. The Met began reviewing allegations against officers and staff in the wake of public outrage over Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, who committed violent sexual crimes while serving as Met officers. The first, Operation Assure, looked at the vetting of officers and staff where concerns had been raised about their behaviour. The second, Operation Onyx, looked at every completed sexual offence or domestic abuse case involving a police officer or staff member between April 2012 and April 2022, where the allegation did not lead to them being sacked. There are currently 29 officers who have had their vetting removed who remain on paid leave, and 96 who have been sacked or resigned. It is thought that keeping officers and staff on paid special vetting leave will cost at least £2 million per year. If the Met is forced to reinstate another 24 officers previously sacked for failing to meet vetting standards, this cost could be as high as £7 million per year. But Tuesday's High Court judgment effectively removed a mechanism to sack officers who were not fit to hold vetting. Sergeant Lino Di Maria successfully mounted a legal challenge, supported by the Metropolitan Police Federation, after having his vetting removed over sexual assault allegations, which he denies. He was found to have no case to answer in respect of misconduct allegations, and argued that having his vetting removed without the accusations being proved is a breach of his right to a fair trial. Sgt Di Maria – who joined the force in 2004 – was accused of rape in 2019, and a second allegation was made in 2021, with the incident said to have happened in 2015. A complaint was also made in 2021 that the officer had been inappropriate towards female colleagues. No criminal charges were brought because of insufficient evidence, and Sgt Di Maria was found to have no case to answer for misconduct. A Home Office spokesman said: 'It is essential for public confidence in policing that the strictest standards are upheld and maintained. Individuals who fall below the high standards the public expects should not be police officers. 'That's why this Government is acting rapidly to introduce new, strengthened rules that will help forces dismiss officers who cannot maintain vetting clearance. 'There are clear processes already in place for forces to deal with any officer found facing allegations of misconduct, and it is critical that they use these to remove personnel who clearly fall short of the standards that we and the public expect.' In the ruling on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Lang found that Scotland Yard cannot lawfully dismiss officers by withdrawing their vetting clearance. She continued: 'Dismissal is a matter which should be provided for in regulations made by the Secretary of State… This results in an anomalous situation where officers who do not have basic vetting clearance cannot be dismissed by the defendant. 'In my view, that anomaly could and should be resolved by regulations.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Met Police ‘predators' could return as force loses vetting case brought by ‘rapist' officer
A Metropolitan Police officer accused of rape has won a High Court judicial review against his dismissal leaving efforts to rid the force of 300 others in tatters. The judgement in Sergeant Lino Di Maria's successful legal battle was delivered on Tuesday. London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said the decision 'has significant implications for the work the Met is now doing to clean up the force'. Officers sacked because of unproven allegations of sexual and domestic abuse could return to work and claim millions in back pay because of Sgt Di Maria's 'test case', including one arrested in the United States for trying groom a 13-year-old girl. Sgt Di Maria was stripped of his warrant card in September 2023 under the Met's new system called Operation Assure. Without proving whether the allegations are true, Sir Mark removed vetting clearance due to the seriousness of the claims and has dismissed about 107 officers so far in the wake of a slew of scandals, including Sarah Everard's murder by PC Wayne Couzens. But Mrs Justice Lang said the process was unlawful as those suspected of wrongdoing were denied an opportunity to defend themselves. A public complaint was made on August 12, 2019 accusing Sgt Di Maria of two sexual assaults and rapes in cars in public car parks on December 3 and 9, 2018. There was also a rape and indecent exposure claim in 2015, an allegation of sending inappropriate messages to colleagues in 2019 and alleged inappropriate behaviour at work two years later. An ex-partner made further accusations of domestic abuse in 2022. But Sgt Di Maria, who was found to have no case to answer in respect of misconduct allegations and has always denied the claims against him, brought the legal action - with the backing of the Met Police Federation - saying the process was unlawful. He argued that having his vetting removed is a breach of his right to a fair trial. However the Met wants the power to be able to remove vetting for allegations - even if unproven - which mean that a Met officer would not have been allowed to join the force in the first place, as part of efforts to rebuild trust in the force and root out so-called 'bad apples'. Following the ruling, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it was 'possible' sacked officers could return to the force. He said officers such as Sergeant Lino Di Maria will remain on vetting special leave - describing the position as a 'ridiculous waste of money' but the 'least bad option'. Sir Mark told reporters: 'Finally, regardless of the current legal framework, the public of London have my assurance, and that of my colleagues, that Di Maria and those like him will not be policing the streets or working alongside other officers. 'They will remain on vetting special leave - a ridiculous waste of money, but the least bad option until regulations are repaired.' Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Lang concluded that the process used in Sgt Di Maria's case - dubbed 'vetting dismissal' - is not fit for purpose. 'The process deprives the officer of any meaningful opportunity to challenge a finding of gross incompetence', she said, adding that dismissal for an officer who has been stripped of vetting clearance becomes inevitable. She said normal safeguards for misconduct proceedings become 'ineffective', include a full hearing where evidence will be considered and witnesses may be called, in which the panel will determine whether or not gross incompetence has been established. 'If a finding of gross incompetence is made, before an outcome is determined, the panel must have regard to the officer's personal record and any mitigation or references he may put forward, but this is meaningless if the only available outcome is dismissal.' She added: 'In my view, dismissal without notice for gross incompetence will be a serious stain on a police officer's record when seeking alternative employment, in addition to the loss of vetting clearance. It ought not to be imposed without an effective and fair hearing.' Last month, Sir Mark called the Federation's attempt to win back the job of an officer with a 'ghastly' background 'crazy and frankly unbelievable'. The Met says it faces a 'disastrous' future as staff 'with really worrying' pasts are reinstated, then awarded thousands in back pay. The Met commissioner confirmed the force would be seeking leave to appeal the court's ruling. Attention will now shift to the Home Office and its reaction to the Met Police's court defeat. A Home Office spokesperson said the Government was "acting rapidly" to introduce new rules to help forces sack officers who could not hold vetting. Education Secretary and women's minister Bridget Phillipson told LBC that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper would make sure vetting of Metropolitan Police officers is "overhauled". Asked by presenter Andrew Marr if the ruling made her worried for the safety of women in London, Ms Phillipson said: "It is precisely for that reason that the Home Secretary will make sure that vetting is overhauled, so we can be completely confident that police officers serving the public are fit and proper people to be carrying out those duties." Mrs Justice Lang added in her ruling that it is anticipated revisions to the codes of practice for police officers across the country will now be considered. Sir Sadiq added: 'This decision has significant implications for the work the Met is now doing to clean up the force, raise standards and rid the police of all those unfit to serve. 'I have long been clear that there can be no hiding place for those who abuse their position of trust and authority within the police. 'Working alongside the Met Commissioner, I want no let-up in the vital work being carried out to raise standards and rebuild public confidence in the Met. 'No-one who has failed vetting should continue to serve in the force and we will work closely with the Commissioner, the Home Office and partners to assess the implications of this ruling.' Last week female officers slammed their own union for 'championing' Sgt Di Maria's cause. In an open letter to Sir Mark and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the Network of Women group -which fights misogyny at work – blasted the decision which will raises 'very serious ethical and governance concerns'. Co-chairs Inspector Jennifer Sharpling and Alicia Patel questioned whether members were consulted before having their fees used to support Sgt Di Maria, who faced accusations from his own colleagues. 'lt is our collective view that Di Maria's dismissal would not only be justified but essential,' they wrote. Claire Waxman, London's independent victims' commissioner, posted on X, formerly Twitter: 'It's crucial the Commissioner has the tools he needs to dismiss officers who simply shouldn't be serving. 'Removing these officers has been central to his efforts to improve trust and confidence amongst Londoners and the countless good, hardworking officers.' Others who could return include PC Terry Malka who kept his job despite being convicted of performing a solo sex act in a First Class train carriage in 2018. A review by Baroness Casey found the Met to be institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic after 33-year-old Ms Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Couzens in March 2021. Lady Elish Angiolini discovered a series of red flags were missed about Couzens who should never have been given a job with a history of offending dating back nearly 20 years.
