Met Police officers facing reports of rape and abuse may remain in the force

Yesterday (11th February 2025), the High Court ruled that police forces cannot dismiss officers by removing their vetting clearance, after a Met Police officer who received reports of rape during his police service had his vetting clearance removed. The Judicial Review was found in favour of the officer on all counts.

Removal of police officers’ vetting clearance was taking place under Operation Assure – the Met’s process for considering dismissing serving officers who can no longer pass vetting – following public outrage at the scale of police-perpetrated violence against women and girls exposed in recent years.

This work set about to root out perpetrators of violence against women and girls already employed by the force, with changes to vetting processes aiming to stop perpetrators from joining as new recruits.

The Met Commissioner has said that officers who fail their vetting but cannot be removed from the force will be put on “special vetting leave”; unable to police the streets or work alongside other officers, but at a continued cost to the public.

Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said:

“There can be no place in policing for those who rape and abuse women. Perpetrators must be prevented from joining the police and there must be a lawful, robust and timely process to remove those who pose a risk to women and girls.

The power dynamics involved when it is a police officer behind the abuse – who can use their status to silence and intimidate – must be taken into account when we consider the level of risk posed to any victims and the wider public. Due to that position of power and authority the police hold over the public, officers must be held to the highest standards of conduct.

But despite a number of egregious examples of serial abusers hiding in plain sight within policing, for many years the government has failed to take action to address long standing, nationwide issues with vetting regulations and standards.

Protecting victims and survivors of police-perpetrated abuse, whether they are members of the public or female police officers and staff, must finally be given the attention it deserves. Rooting out abusers and transforming the cultures that enables them is vital and urgent work if we are to address the extreme loss of trust and confidence in the justice system it has caused.”

ENDS

Media contact

Sinead Geoghegan, Head of Communications, media@evaw.org.uk 07960 744 502