Summary

  • Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley says behaviour uncovered by BBC secret filming is "reprehensible" and that he wants people "off the payroll"

  • Rowley tells BBC London the force is better than three years ago, and that he's "proud" of the work done, but accepts there is still "cancer" to be removed

  • He says the "relentless" work to clean up the force means bad behaviour is "going underground"

  • But insists he won't resign, saying it's "the misogynists and racists frankly who want me out". Read a recap of his interview here

  • Panorama showed officers making sexualised comments to colleagues and sharing racist views about immigrants and Muslims - watch the full programme on iPlayer or on BBC2 at 21:00 on Thursday

  • Keir Starmer calls the footage "shocking" - officers can be seen calling for immigrants to be shot and revelling in the use of force

  • The footage challenges the Met's promise to have tackled what it calls "toxic behaviours" after the murder of Sarah Everard by a police officer in 2021

  • Nine officers and one staff member had been suspended, with two more officers removed from frontline duties

Live Reporting

Edited by James Gregory

  1. Starmer: 'It is shocking'
    Breaking

    'Shocking': Starmer reacts to Panorama Met Police investigation

    We've just heard Keir Starmer's first reaction to the BBC's footage of Met Police officers at Charing Cross police station.

    The prime minister, who's in Denmark, says he's yet to see the footage for himself but - from what's been described to him - "it is shocking".

    Starmer adds: "I'm glad the commissioner [Mark Rowley] is responding, he needs to be very robust in his response."

  2. Sadiq Khan 'disgusted and appalled' by Panorama Met footage

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan frowning in suitPA Media

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan says he is "disgusted and appalled" by footage of some Metropolitan Police officers at Charing Cross police station, after it was exposed in a BBC Panorama documentary.

    Khan says: 'It was sickening to watch police officers - those who are tasked with keeping our communities safe - display such blatant racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim hatred and excessive use of force."

    He says there must be "no hiding place" for Met officers who "abuse their position of trust".

    He has confirmed that he has met the commissioner to discuss these "horrifying events", assuring Londoners that he will "continue to hold the Met to account".

  3. Police federation 'deplores' discriminatory behaviour

    Paula Dodds, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents all Met officers, says the organisation "deplores any discriminatory behaviour in the strongest possible terms" and that "such behaviour has no place in policing or society".

    "If officers are proven to be guilty of criminal offences or serious gross misconduct, then we do not want these individuals in the job," she adds.

    She adds that "all police officers - like all people - have the right to representation and due process, and not trial by media or documentary".

  4. 'Appalling, potentially criminal, behaviour' - Rowley letter to home secretary

    Ahead of Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley's appearance on BBC London, a letter he's written to the home secretary and mayor of London has just been published on the Met's X account.

    In it, Rowley condemns the "appalling, potentially criminal, behaviour" exhibited by some Met officers in last night's BBC Panorama programme - and he adds:

    "It's my expectation that for those involved, where there is controvertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim sentiment or bragging about exercise of force, they will be put on a fast-tracking hearing within weeks and on a path to likely dismissal."

    Rowley also explains the "immediate steps" taken by the Met after it was alerted to the BBC's findings "in the form of a 13-page letter".

    This includes, he says, the suspension of "nine officers and one staff member" within "48 hours" of the letter being received.

    You can read the letter in full below:

    A screenshot of a letter from Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan It says: "Dear Home Secretary and Mayor, Tonight's BBC Panorama 'Undercover in the Police' has once again placed a spotlight on the culture and standards of the Metropolitan Police Service. The behaviours of some of the Met officers and staff featured in the show are reprehensible and completely unacceptable In the programme we saw appalling, potentially criminal, behaviour from officers, that lets down our communities and will cause Londoners to question if they are safe in our custody, and whether they would be believed and respected as victims of crime. This damages trust and confidence, and I have apologised to those we serve. It's my expectation that for those involved, where there is incontrovertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim sentiment or bragging about excessive use of force, they will be put on a fast-track hearing within weeks and on a path to likely dismissal. We stand ready to work with the IOPC to make this happen. As Commissioner, I have been candid about the longstanding systemic, cultural, leadership and regulatory failings that have allowed misogyny, racism and a lack of public service ethos to put down deep roots. We are part way into conducting what is already the biggest corruption clear-out in British policing history, more robust than the Met has been historically and relentlessly arresting and sacking officers and staff with nearly 1,500 removed so far In light of the deep concern that I know Londoners will have following Panorama, I wanted to share a detailed update with you on the immediate steps we took upon being alerted by the BBC; provide an update on our relentless focus on culture and standards, and share how this focus will continue as we deliver New Met for London 2 the next phase of our reforming strategy. Immediate Actions The Met was alerted to these allegations by BBC on 9th September in the form of a 13-page letter. Within 48 hours of the letter being received, nine officers and one staff member had been suspended, with two more officers being removed from frontline duties. The Met also referred these allegations to the IOPC who have since taken the investigation independently, with the Met's full support."X/MetPoliceUK

  5. Why did the BBC send an undercover reporter into the Met?

    Emma Vardy
    BBC Panorama

    For responsible investigative journalists, the decision to undertake covert filming like this is never an easy one.

    Going undercover involves deception and intrusion as tools of public interest journalism, and to justify this there needs to be sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.

    Whistleblowers told BBC Panorama that efforts to repair the Met Police force's culture had not been as successful as its leadership had publicly claimed - and that the Met still struggled with deep-rooted misogyny and racist attitudes within its ranks.

    The whistleblowers specifically highlighted Charing Cross police station as a source of concern.

    The post that undercover reporter Rory Bibb secured as a detention officer in Charing Cross custody suite would allow him to observe the culture within the station up close, without taking on the duties of a fully fledged police officer.

    Working with Panorama, Rory was backed by a very experienced BBC team which had carried out many other undercover investigations.

  6. Met Police chief to speak after BBC filming captures evidence of misogyny and racism

    Adrian Polglase and Joseph Lee
    BBC Panorama

    Mark RowleyPA Media

    Serving Metropolitan Police officers called for immigrants to be shot, revelled in the use of force and were dismissive of rape claims in footage captured by a Panorama undercover reporter.

    The evidence of misogyny and racism challenges the Met's promise to have tackled what it calls "toxic behaviours" after the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.

    Panorama's secret filming shows officers making sexualised comments to colleagues and sharing racist views about immigrants and Muslims.

    This evidence reveals that, far from being driven out of the Met, racist and misogynistic attitudes have been driven underground. "Someone new joins, boom, mask on. You've got to figure them out," one officer said.

    Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the behaviour outlined by Panorama was "disgraceful, totally unacceptable and contrary to the values and standards" of the force.

    We’ll be hearing from Sir Mark on BBC London from 08:15 BST - you can watch live on this page