London police receive a miserable witness
The crime rate in London is higher than in other parts of England. An oversight body sees significant room for improvement in the police's work in the city. It only attributes sufficient performance to Scotland Yard in one area: the use of powers such as stop and search and fair and respectful interaction with the public.
The Metropolitan Police is not up to its tasks in many areas, according to a report by the HMICFR (His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services). Out of eight assessed areas, the body only gave the Metropolitan Police a sufficient rating in one: the use of powers and fair and respectful interaction with the public.
On the other hand, the body sees room for improvement in areas such as crime prevention, protecting vulnerable people, and leadership and management of the police. It even rated Scotland Yard's investigation of crimes and monitoring of known offenders as inadequate. It highlighted shortcomings in monitoring dangerous sex offenders at large, lack of adequate training for officers, and too many controls being announced in advance.
The body's judgment was also poor in the fight against online child pornography, with investigations being discontinued in 60% of cases. The police attributed this high number to the overall large number of cases. The body recommended that the police urgently review their approach in both areas. The inexperience of many officers also negatively impacts the investigation of crimes.
"Unique Challenges"
Even in complex cases, officers with only basic investigative training are deployed. "I have serious concerns about the current approach of the police in investigating crimes and dealing with offenders and suspects," said the responsible inspector Lee Freeman in a statement.
He emphasized that the "unique challenges" posed by a higher crime rate than in the rest of the country and additional tasks such as royal events should not be underestimated. However, the efforts to improve results for crime victims so far have not been sufficient. The Metropolitan Police stated that it would carefully reflect on the results of the report.
The Commission, being HMICFR, has identified numerous areas where the Metropolitan Police needs improvement, such as crime prevention and protecting vulnerable people. The Metropolitan Police's investigation of crimes and monitoring of known offenders were rated as inadequate by The Commission.
In light of these criticisms, The Commission has recommended that the police urgently review their approach in both areas, recognizing the unique challenges posed by a higher crime rate and additional tasks.
