Strikes stop police from fighting crime, Met chief says

Sir mark Rowley said officers were having to do "too much work" for other agencies

Prolonged strike action by public sector workers is drawing police officers away from fighting crime, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said.

More walkouts by various workers have been announced in the new year.

Sir Mark said his officers "don't want to go on strike" and police were having to "do too much work" for other agencies like health services.

The commissioner also reiterated his call for greater powers to sack officers found guilty of misconduct.

Speaking on his 100th day in the job, Sir Mark said the force was having to deal with incidents like mental health work "where officers aren't the right resource, but are filling in for ambulance and health services".

"I am concerned that with prolonged strikes that more of that work may fall on our lap," he added.

"And whilst officers will always do their compassionate best, what this means is that they're being drawn away from fighting crime on behalf of Londoners."

Sir Mark Rowley has been the Met's commissioner for 100 days

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Sir Mark also said:

• Knife crime was down "by a significant amount" this year

• The capital is heading for its lowest murder rate "for many years" in 2022, with the number of homicides down 20% compared to this time last year

• A team of detectives is investigating last week's fatal crush at Brixton Academy to determine "if there are any criminal liabilities involved"

Sir Mark also repeated his call for a change in the rules on sacking officers, having previously described his lack of power in some cases as "perverse". About 500 officers in the Met are currently suspended or on restricted duties.

"I've asked the home secretary [Suella Braverman] to review those regulations... and she says she's up for it," he said.

"We're making progress using all the powers we have. It's up to the home secretary how quickly she does it. I know she's determined to do it as quickly as possible."

Detectives are investigating the fatal crush at Brixton Academy

He said tens of thousands of officers were "doing great things to protect London day in and day out", but were being "let down by a relatively small number" who undermined the Met's integrity.

Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Dame Diana Johnson MP, said it was "very important" that Sir Mark could "root out" police officers who should not be serving.

The committee will be investigating the issue in the new year as part of an inquiry into policing priorities.

She said: "When you have stories coming out of the Met over the last couple of years, like at Charing Cross police station, you want speedy action to deal with officers who should not be serving."

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