Met Police launches review over fears 300 recruits were not properly vetted

"However, it is feared hundreds were wrongly hired with substandard or no vetting carried out, including many during the Conservative government's so-called uplift recruitment drive, The Guardian reports. The alleged recruitment predates the tenure of Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (PA) The Met is now carrying out an internal review into vetting and hiring practices between 2016 and April 2023, the force has confirmed."

"In a statement, the Met said: The Met is undertaking a review of historic vetting and hiring practices. This is part of ongoing wider work to raise professional standards across the organisation and improve trust and confidence with the public. The alleged recruitment failings are said to predate the tenure of the current Met Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, who took over from Dame Cressida Dick in 2022."

"The force has been dogged by a string of scandals in recent years, including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, who used his warrant card to abduct her. The force was branded institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic in a damning review by Baroness Louise Casey in 2023, commissioned in the wake of the shocking crime."

Scotland Yard is undertaking an internal review and re-vetting more than 300 people hired between 2016 and April 2023 after potential errors in recruitment vetting were identified. Vetting assesses criminal backgrounds, connections, outstanding debts and other vulnerabilities that could leave officers susceptible to corruption. Hundreds of recruits may have been hired with substandard or no vetting, including many from the Conservative government's uplift recruitment drive. The alleged failings predate the current Met commissioner’s tenure. The Met describes the work as part of wider efforts to raise professional standards and restore public trust amid prior scandals and culture criticisms.

Read at www.independent.co.uk