Summary

  • A damning report has found "institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia" within the Metropolitan Police - and suggested the force could be broken up if it fails to improve

  • The home secretary says the force faces a "long road to recovery", while the mayor of London said it was one of the darkest days in the Met's history

  • Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has accepted the findings and systemic failings, but says he won't use the term "institutional"

  • Officers provided the Casey Review with harrowing testimony about how they were treated by colleagues

  • The report found complaints were "likely to be turned against" ethnic minority officers, with black officers 81% more likely to be in the misconduct system than white colleagues

  • Baroness Doreen Lawrence - the mother of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in 1993 - said the report's findings were "no surprise"

  1. Londoners react to damning report into policepublished at 10:20 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    As part of his programme, BBC Radio London's Eddie Nestor will hear listener views in response to Baroness Casey's report into the police.

    We'll bring you some of the views expressed on this page. You can also stream the show live by pressing the Play button at the top of this page.

  2. WATCH: Review findings are brutal - Met commissionerpublished at 10:07 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    And here's a bit more from Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

    Media caption,

    'Review findings are brutal' - Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley

  3. Systemic problems lasted far too long - home secretarypublished at 09:59 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Suella BravermanImage source, Reuters

    Since Baroness Lawrence mentioned the role of the home secretary, let's take a look at how Suella Braverman responded to the Casey Review.

    The report makes for “difficult reading” for “the whole of the policing family,” she said.

    “The vast majority of the people who serve in our Met Police force are honest, decent, brave professionals… but it is clear there have been systemic problems for far too long,” she said.

    Braverman expressed “total confidence” in the head of the force, Sir Mark Rowley, to “turn the Met around” and said it was essential to support the “progress he is making in ridding the force of those corrupt or dangerous police officers who are not fit to wear the badge.”

    Asked what the government would do about the Casey Review, Braverman said: “What we need to do is change the culture, structure and system that is regulating the Met.”

  4. Met is rotten to the core - Lawrencepublished at 09:47 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Some additional comments from Baroness Lawrence, who suggests that the Met has failed to change in the three decades since her son's death.

    Quote Message

    It is not, and has never been, a case of a few ‘bad apples’ within the Metropolitan Police. It is rotten to the core. Discrimination is institutionalised within the Metropolitan police and it needs changing from top to bottom."

    Baroness Doreen Lawrence

    She adds that the force has had almost 30 years "to put its house in order" since her son's death and the 1999 Macpherson report - which found the Met to be institutionally racist.

    Quote Message

    Baroness Casey’s report and its findings are the last chance for the Metropolitan Police to get it right and if it does not, it must be forced to do so."

    Baroness Doreen Lawrence

    Lawrence goes on to say that the public, "who the police are meant to serve" are being failed. She adds that "the home secretary, who has ultimate responsibility for policing, has to be held accountable and take appropriate action".

  5. Report's findings are no surprise, says Baroness Lawrencepublished at 09:37 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Baroness Doreen Lawrence

    We've had the response of Doreen Lawrence - the mother of Stephen Lawrence - to Baroness Louise Casey's report.

    In her statement, she says it's "no surprise" the Met was found to be "riddled with deep-seated racism, sexism and homophobia".

    She believes "racism played a critical part in the failure of the Metropolitan police to properly investigate my son's death in 1993".

    Stephen Lawrence was killed that year in an unprovoked and racially motivated attack in Eltham, south-east London.

    Two white suspects were charged in the summer of that year but the case was soon dropped, with prosecutors saying the evidence was not reliable.

    This led to the Macpherson report, which found the Met to be institutionally racist.

  6. Listen live: Your views on the Met Policepublished at 09:23 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    BBC Radio 5 Live listeners are describing their experiences of policing in response to the Casey Review into the Met. They're speaking to Nicky Campbell during his regular phone-in.

    You can listen live by pressing the Play button at the top of this page or listen below.

  7. Casey redoubles criticism as Met chief accepts findingspublished at 09:19 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    James FitzGerald
    Live reporter

    We've heard lots this morning from not just the woman who authored a damning report into the Met Police - Baroness Louise Casey - but also the man now in charge of the force, Sir Mark Rowley.

    Rowley again accepted Casey's damning findings, though notably he disputed the use of the word "institutional" to describe the racism, misogyny and homophobia identified within the Met.

    We're going to now dive in to some wider reaction to the report, starting with some comments from Baroness Doreen Lawrence - the mother of Stephen Lawrence, a black teenager who was murdered in London in 1993.

    In 1999, the Macpherson Report into the investigation into Lawrence's death found that there had been "institutional racism" in the police, and many are hearing echoes of that report today, 24 years on.

  8. Report makes me more determined to enforce change - Rowleypublished at 09:09 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    In his final comments on BBC Breakfast, Sir Mark Rowley says the reality of the task before him has become "more vivid" in the months since he took charge.

    The Casey Review "just redoubles my determination", he insists, before going on to list his key initiatives.

    These include improved service times, more women involved in investigating sex crimes, stronger efforts to pursue London's 500 most dangerous offenders, and better equipping officers.

    But Rowley cautions that these things will take time.

    "I'm not going to sit in front of Londoners and say we are going to sort these things out overnight, because that would lack credibility," he finishes.

  9. Practical issues will change urgently, Rowley sayspublished at 09:03 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Sally Nugent asks Sir Mark Rowley about a specific detail in the Casey Review - about broken fridges containing evidence from rape victims. She questions whether practical issues like this will be resolved quickly.

    In response, Rowley says: "They are absolutely going to change urgently. We're double-checking that those things are working properly at the moment."

    Rowley concludes by saying any "breaches of standards and behaviour will be investigated".

  10. I didn't see the toxicity, says Rowleypublished at 08:53 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Rowley is questioned about his decades of policing experience - including a period when he led the country's fight against terrorism.

    He says he has to recognise that he has been a senior leader in the force, and like others, he will be reflecting on that time, given the issues raised by Baroness Casey's report.

    He says he "has to recognise" his own shortcomings, and question himself over "why I didn't see the toxicity" that existed within the Met.

    But he says he's probably been "more outspoken" about issues within the police than any other senior leaders "for decades".

  11. I'm proud officers came forward to detail failings, says Rowleypublished at 08:46 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Mark Rowley

    Questioned on BBC Breakfast, Sir Mark Rowley says Baroness Casey's "sparks a range of emotions" - namely "anger, frustration, upset".

    But he also says he feels "pride" that officers have come forward to disclose abuses within the force.

    But he says, "we have let Londoners down, I am very very clear about that."

    He says that there is a journey of reform to do and Baroness Casey's recommendations will feature in the next version of his plan.

  12. Met chief on BBC Breakfast nowpublished at 08:42 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Sir Mark Rowley is speaking to BBC Breakfast now - we'll keep you posted on what he says.

    Press the Play button at the top of the page to watch him live.

  13. We need change, not rebranding - Rowleypublished at 08:39 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Sir Mark went on to say that there are risks in renaming departments - it could just become a "branding exercise", he says.

    And he says that breaking up policing in London would end up creating "boundary issues", as it is a big and complex city.

    Sir Mark adds that doing this would just get in the way of the changes that are needed.

  14. People should see progress month by month, says Rowleypublished at 08:36 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Met Police head Sir Mark Rowley explains to Mishal Hussain on Radio 4 about the time frame of change to be expected.

    He said: "There's a long mission of change here. People should see progress, month by month, quarter by quarter.

    "Certainly after a couple of years there should be a significant scale of change that people are starting to recognise."

  15. Rape investigations, stop and search, and trust must improve - Rowleypublished at 08:35 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    We're now hearing from Sir Mark Rowley, who says change is an "immense task" and the Met has laid out its plan.

    Sir Mark says investigations of rape will be improved, and more officers will be put into neighbourhood policing to improve trust.

    He says they're looking at refining the way they carry out stop and search.

    He acknowledges this is "a big mission" but he feels confident that he will be able to say to Londoners month by month that the force is getting better.

  16. We must do better with recruitment, says Rowleypublished at 08:32 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Rowley goes on to discuss the "ghastly" cases of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick. He says he has found "too many cases" of "problematic individuals" in the Met.

    Questioned about the lack of diversity among his staff, Rowley says the Met will do "everything we possibly can do" to recruit police officers from more backgrounds.

    Asked if the report will hinder these efforts, he says this can be "a galvanising moment for communities".

    He acknowledges that Casey's report may put off good candidates from becoming officers. To those people, he has this message: "Please step forward, because we need good people."

  17. Met chief accepts findings, but rejects 'institutional' labelpublished at 08:31 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Mark Rowley

    The Today programme is hearing from the head of the Met Police now, Sir Mark Rowley.

    He says he accepts the findings of racism, misogyny and homophobia in the force - acknowledging this is not just about individuals, but about "systemic failings".

    Picking up on one element of Casey's wording, he says: "I don't use the 'institutional' label myself", arguing that the term is "ambiguous" and "politicised".

    He's then asked by Mishal Husain about his previous work, attempting to improve the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command - a unit singled out for criticism for Casey.

    He acknowledges: "Clearly we didn't make enough progress."

  18. Black Londoners need to be heard, says Caseypublished at 08:29 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Casey says we have to "clean up the Met".

    She adds that the Met needs to change its relationship with black Londoners in particular.

    "I am tired of black Londoners not being heard," and "tired of black mothers worrying about their kids going out in the street," she says.

    She also speaks of the importance of tackling domestic violence.

    Casey adds: "Why don't we have rape suppression units? Why don't we have domestic violence suppression units?"

  19. Better management could prevent restructuring, says Caseypublished at 08:27 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Asked about breaking up the force, Casey emphasises the need for managerial change.

    She says management needs to improve in the organisation, and if they get that right we may not need a restructure of the organisation.

    Casey says that the commissioner has her support and the support of the London mayor as well as the home secretary.

    It's easy for her to make demands, she says, but tougher to ask the organisation to change its culture.

    She says that the whole of the Met and the whole of policing need to get behind her report.

  20. My findings must not be shrugged off, says Caseypublished at 08:22 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2023

    Casey says she doesn't think the force is "in denial", but likens some of the work that the Met must do to "climbing Everest in flip-flops".

    She says she doesn't want her report to be simply "shrugged off".

    Casey later turns to the example of serial rapist officer David Carrick, alluding to missed opportunities to stop his offences. She says the Met Police is "short on humility".