Several hundred Met Officers 'could be dismissed' after scathing report, Baroness Casey warns

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The author of a scathing report into the toxic culture in the Met Police said several hundred officers could be dismissed.

Baroness Casey was speaking at the London Assembly after her review uncovered disturbing details of racism, misogyny and homophobia in Britain's biggest police force.

Responding to a question by Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, Baroness Casey said she expected numbers dismissed to be 'several hundred'. 

In response Ms Pidgeon said: "The revelations in yesterday’s report were truly abhorrent and I am grateful for the work Baroness Casey has done to shine a light on the institutional problems within the Met.

"To learn several hundred officers are potentially facing dismissal really highlights just how widespread the rot within the force has become and pours cold water on the notion by some that this is only about a ‘few bad apples’.

Also in the hearing Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said he and the force's new leadership team were “galvanising” the force and hoped the findings of Baroness Louise Casey’s damning review “acted as a catalyst”.

Commissioner Rowley said: "I’ve already apologised to the people of London and those in the organisation who we’ve let down. And I’ve repeated that over the last couple of days that I do recognise that."

The report "calls out discrimination in the organisation", not just individuals, but "also the systemic failings within it, the management failings and the cultural failings", he said, adding: "I welcome the findings and hope it acts as a catalyst."

Sir Mark said he and senior leaders have been through a “bit of a rollercoaster of emotions” as they digested the findings, including anger, frustration, embarrassment and being upset but also more “positive emotions” because it “redoubles your intent and your resolve”.

He said they have to “absorb” over the next few weeks the “weight of Louise’s thinking” and build them into his plans for reform.

“We have momentum, we are building that momentum, and we welcome the sort of additional thinking that can make it more profound.”

He said it was “helpful” the report highlighted problems outside the Met’s control – such as funding and growing demand – but they must not be used as an “excuse”, adding: “The core of this is on us, it’s on us to fix.”

“I and my new leadership team, we are galvanising the Met. We’re trying to bring other people in to help us,” he said.

While Sir Mark Rowley has accepted Baroness Casey’s “diagnosis” of misogyny, racism and homophobia in the Met, he said he does not use the term institutional.

He told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee: “This is about the body of the Met. It’s not about a few bacteria that have got into the system.

“It’s about the immune system has not been strong enough so they’re not the majority of cells, but they’ve got more of a foothold and are having more influence than they ought to have done.

“This is about us systemically getting stronger to repel that from our system.”

He said that while the force is taking action, he does not want to over-simplify what needs to be done.

“I don’t want to say, ‘I’m not doing anything at the moment, I’m just going to think for the next few months’, because that would sound a bit wet, frankly. Because that’s not what’s happening, there’s lots that we are doing.

“But likewise, I don’t want to imply a list of six things is going to fix everything.”

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