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All police forces have been ordered to hunt down sex predators and domestic abusers in their ranks in a major review sparked by David Carrick’s horrific crimes.
It comes after a similar review by the Metropolitan Police found more than 1,000 officers and staff who had complaints against them over the past decade but remained in service.
The review in England and Wales was announced ahead of a meeting between the prime minister and EU commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, where Rishi Sunak said he “made it clear that the abuse of power we have seen this week is absolutely appalling and needs to be addressed now”.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) is writing to all forces in England and Wales to check their officers and staff against national police databases.
The Home Office said the search would “help identify anyone who has slipped through the net before vetting standards are tightened and ensure those who are unfit to serve can be weeded out”.
The vetting and monitoring processes of police officers have come under intense scrutiny after it emerged that Carrick was let into the Metropolitan police months after police investigated him for harassing a former partner.
He was allowed to remain in Britain’s top force for 20 years despite his involvement in at least nine incidents, including domestic abuse and violence, because he was never prosecuted and Scotland Yard repeatedly ruled that Carrick had “no case to be responsible’ for disciplinary proceedings.
All 49 offences, including 24 rapes, which he has already admitted committing against 12 women over 17 years, were committed during his career with the Metropolitan Police.
Martin Hewitt, chairman of the NPCC, said: “The trust of women and girls in London and across the country in the police has been further damaged by the details of David Carrick’s decades-long violent and degrading abuse of women and the failure of the police to spot and stop it.
“Chief Constables remove from the police service violent people and those who betray our standards.
“We will be asking all police forces to further check their officers and staff against national police databases. This will help identify anyone who has slipped through the net before vetting standards are tightened and those unfit to serve are weeded out.
Details of the review, how it will be carried out and in what timeframe are still being formulated.
Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said: “This is the bare minimum and it’s frankly shocking that it hasn’t happened already. The government’s response has been completely unsatisfactory.”
The Home Secretary also asked the Policing College, which runs police training and standards in England and Wales, to strengthen the statutory code of practice for police vetting and make the duties that all forces must follow by law stricter and clearer.
More than 1,000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff previously accused of domestic violence and sex offenses are being re-examined on charges following the David Carrick case
(PA)
Suella Braverman said: “Carrick’s despicable crimes are a stain on the police and he should never have been allowed to remain as an officer for so long.
“We are taking immediate steps to ensure that predatory individuals are not only weeded out by the police, but that vetting and standards are strengthened to ensure they cannot join the police in the first place.”
The Home Secretary earlier announced a review of the police disciplinary process, which will address public calls made by Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to give chief constables more power to manage who serves in their forces.
Ms Braverman told MPs on Tuesday: “I want to make sure we have a fair and effective system for removing those officers who are simply not fit to serve.”
Carrick’s case will also be considered as part of the ongoing inquiry into police scrutiny and wider issues by Lady Elisha Angiolini, which began after Sarah Everard’s murder in 2021.
A proposed mandate says the inquiry will question whether recruitment and vetting processes are doing enough to identify those unfit to serve, examine the extent of “misogynistic and predatory behaviour” in police culture and the fitness of current management the risk.
Several previous inspections and watchdog reports have identified vetting problems and warned that rapists, domestic abusers and sexual predators are being allowed to join and remain in the force.
Following calls by HM Inspector General of Police for urgent action on recommendations made last year, the Government commissioned a “rapid review” of police force responses.
“Despite repeated warnings – including from several of us – not enough has been done to improve standards and stamp out misogyny and predatory behavior in the police,” Andy Cook said. “It is vital that the police act on our recommendations. They simply cannot afford to wait any longer.”
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