Met Police: Mayor demands 'urgent plan' from commissioner

The mayor of London has warned the Met Police commissioner she needs an "urgent plan" to address racist and sexist behaviour within the force.

It follows a report on Tuesday by the police watchdog which found "disgraceful" misogyny, discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment among PCs based mainly at Charing Cross.

Sadiq Khan said he had put Dame Cressida Dick "on notice".

He told the BBC he had never been "more angry or disgusted".

Among the findings, the report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found the officers had joked about rape, domestic violence and killing black children.

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"I'm heartbroken that more than a dozen officers can behave in this way," Mr Khan said.

He added: "I'm not someone who is easily angered or disgusted. I am both when it comes to what I've seen over the last couple of days.

"I've been quite clear to the Met Police commissioner that she needs to come up with an effective plan urgently on how she addresses the clear examples of racist, sexist, misogynistic, discriminatory practices taking place, not by one or two officers, but by more than a dozen."

Dame Cressida Dick was appointed commissioner in 2017

On Wednesday a mayoral spokesperson said Mr Khan and Dame Cressida had taken part in a "very frank discussion which lasted for well over 90 minutes" about the force and the changes needed.

"The mayor made clear to the commissioner how angry he is with a return to the bad days of the Met of his childhood in the 1970s and 80s, and that neither he nor Londoners will put up with this.

"He has put the commissioner on notice. He said the Met needs to urgently show it has an effective plan for restoring the trust and confidence of Londoners in the police".

Following a question about the report in the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was "unforgivable" that officers stationed at Parliament were among those who had "let the side down".

The Commons leader added: "What came out over the last couple of days is deeply shocking and is not what we expect of the police.

"This must be rooted out and it is a question that the leadership of the Metropolitan Police will have to ask themselves as to how they can put this right and have culture change."

Dame Cressida was appointed as commissioner by the Queen following a recommendation from the home secretary, although the views of London's mayor were considered as part of the process.

The Met Police has said it was "deeply sorry" about the IOPC report, but previously declined to comment about the discussions between the mayor and the commissioner.

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