We hope that the report this week will be the last-we also hope that all the hardworking police officers are not thrown to the wolves.

Another extremely challenging week faces the Metropolitan Police. The majority of its hard working officers will be feeling very apprehensive at how a further report will no doubt cast them all into a very dark corner.

The Casey Report is expected to pull no punches. Rightly, it does need to identify everything that needs to be changed and quickly at that. It is vital that we must never see the likes of a Couzens or Carrick serve in our police force again. What it must also highlight, that those who let the likes of these two abhorrent individuals continue and feel comfortable in their role and sadly even thrive in it, be held to account. There is no room for talk and television appearances, but there is room for urgent action to be done. Importantly here is that officers of all ranks, must be listened to, as this is often a failure by those in highest roles.

What I have no doubt will not be highlighted by those heavy to criticise our police, is that this report will also reveal the extent of the austerity cuts on the Met Police. For years and years, experienced officers have watched their police force and job dissipate in front of their own eyes. They have begged and pleaded for the brutal cuts to stop, but as we know not only did they not stop, but they intensified leaving behind catastrophic results that the public can now see. Police stations sold, those remaining are empty, canteens gone, neighbourhood policing cut to the bone, officers used here there and everywhere taken from all sections to make up numbers where they are urgently needed. Burglaries unanswered, lack of visible officers on our street, all leading to officers not only feeling an incredible sense of low morale, but also wanting to leave.

Essex Chief Constable BJ Harrington says his officers are leaving the force to become scaffolders as the financial aspect is better. They are also using food banks. Let that thought settle in for a minute.

The 17 officers injured during the Hyde Park clashes in April 2021 will be happy to know that the culprits received suspended sentences as police officers they are given no respect whatsoever and ultimately shown that those that should care,really do not care about them. Not only is the sentence an utter farce but another display of just how police officers are so badly treated.

Two off duty Met officers were stabbed last week and this did not make the headlines as it was of no interest to anyone.

Let us imagine for a few minutes that we had no police officers in our society, something police bashers will enjoy. What would happen next? Who would people turn to? A stabbing is committed? A murder is committed? A person experiencing a desperate mental health crisis that cannot access any other facility? A elderly person who has next to no visitors except a police officer to chat with? A schools officer whose pupils rely on daily? Our roads with drunk drivers causing fatalities? Or even a terrorist attack where most will run for their life except Met officers who run towards the danger. What would happen then?

We all want the rot removed, the officers themselves want a stop to this and be able to police our streets as they should.What we also need is to start supporting all the many hardworking officers who have low morale at the moment and are facing another very difficult week.

Yes, let us rid the Met of those that clearly do not belong there, but let us also start paying officers who do belong there, as they should. Support them, give them the right respect, stop under paying, stop handing out suspended sentences and kicking officers in the face, stop the continuous abuse. Start praising the work that should be praised, appreciating that it is the most challenging job in our community, stop losing officers, stop them using food bank. For goodness sake this is 2023, our public sector workers are crucial roles in our community and should not be using food banks.

We hope that the report this week will be the last and things can go forward, we also hope that all the many hardworking officers are not thrown to the wolves.

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