Met Police put children at risk, inspectorate finds

The Met Police must make "urgent improvements", the police inspectorate said

Vulnerable children are being put at risk by the Metropolitan Police, a police watchdog has said.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found the Met's approach to child protection needed "immediate attention", especially for children who go missing or are at risk of exploitation.

The watchdog said the force must make "urgent improvements" by the end of the year.

The Met said it was "deeply concerned".

HMICFRS was commissioned by the mayor of London Sadiq Khan to inspect the Met's handling of child sexual and criminal exploitation.

Mr Khan said: "It's clear from the inspectorate's findings that the pace of change must significantly improve to ensure children are better protected by the Met Police in our communities and online."

The watchdog issued two accelerated notices, which arise when a problem is too urgent to wait for the publication of the full inspection report.

It found the Met was failing children in care who go missing, was ineffective assessing the risk of sexual exploitation, used "victim-blaming language" and was slow to respond "if at all" to reports of runaways from local authority homes.

His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said: "The role of the police in protecting children from harm should not be understated.

"Children who go missing, or are at risk of exploitation, are some of the most vulnerable in society. It is therefore concerning that the Metropolitan Police's current approach to child protection requires immediate attention.

"We will closely monitor the force's progress."

The watchdog said by 31 December the Met Police should make sure:

• It allocates exploitation investigations to officers and staff who have the appropriate knowledge and skills

• Supervisors review investigations regularly

• It follows all reasonable lines of inquiry to identify suspects

• It pursues evidence-led prosecutions

• It complies with the requirements for forces in the code of practice for victims of crime in England and Wales

Commander Kevin Southworth, the lead for public protection at the Met, said he was "deeply concerned by the HMICFRS' findings that show that too often we are letting them (children) down".

"Our officers want to keep children and young people safe - but we recognise they have not had the right support to do this every time," he said.

Caroline Russell, from the police and crime committee, said it was "disappointing, but not surprising" that the inspectorate issued a cause for concern.

She said it was "vital" improvements were made "to keep children in London safe".

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