The Met At Its Lowest Ebb Must Now Go Forward.

There are thousands of Met police officers going to work this morning feeling at their lowest point ever. The Casey Report, a 363 page report into the Metropolitan Police was released just after midnight and makes tough reading for its officers.

There will be no doubt, endless former officers across all broadcasting outlets also adding their pennies worth, but their voices do not count. It is the voices of the victims, the female officers who faced horrific sexual abuse, the voices of Londoners and the voices of their frontline officers that matter.

The report clearly states that the Met has let Londoners in particular women and girls and those from an ethnic background, down. It also states how it has let its frontline officers down too.

Baroness Casey states that policing attracts predators and bullies. The public are aware of that since the report was commissioned after the horrendous murder of Sarah Everard. We also have one of the country’s most prolific serial rapists David Carrick as a former Met officer. The fact that this monster was allowed to serve 18 years comfortably there, is why women feel betrayed and let down by the force.

Casey outlines how some join the police to specifically use their powers to cause harm. Something that must urgently be removed. The culture that allows sexism in the Met must be stopped. Women have a right to do their job without being targeted.

The report also highlights the huge impact austerity has had on the force. How it’s budget is 18% smaller now and how 126 police stations across London have closed.

Austerity has also eroded frontline policing and weakened the strongest day to day connection with Londoners. Something the public can visibly see for themselves. Casey states that London no longer has a functioning neighbourhood policing service. Officers themselves have been shouting this from the roof tops for so many years now, that so many have left, leaving the Met without many experienced officers.

At last, this report highlights how the Met should recognise trauma and desensitisation as a corporate responsibility and provide trauma training for public protection and response officers, something we have been encouraging for a long period of time. This is a must for its frontline police officers. They are ultimately the back bone of policing, the ones who are needed most in our community and sadly the ones that are always left behind.

Baroness Casey also criticises how many of the highest ranking officers do not live in London and do not see the reality of how everyday policing is on our streets compared to frontline officers. This is something the majority of the public would whole heartedly agree with.

I would urge those in the highest positions to go on a walkabout in plain clothes across the streets of London and talk to those who do walk the streets everyday. Listen to the people and their concerns.

There are thousands of officers across the Met that do an incredible job on our streets everyday.Their work is vital and much needed in our communities.They will face a very challenging day with some very challenging front page headlines.

We hope that this report will be the last, we hope that the Met will go forward now and address the issues it needs to and listen to its officers across the capital.

We need frontline officers, we need neighbourhood officers, we need our police force to be functioning as it should be after years of horrendous austerity cuts.

The Met has as this report highlights many challenges to face, but it also has some incredible officers that are much respected in our communities and who will no doubt today continue to do their job despite facing a horrendous day. Before we throw every officer to the wolves as those on social media will be doing and I’m sure have been sharping their nails in eager anticipation of this report. Let us remember that there are many victims out there, including all the hardworking officers that did join for the right reason.

Now is the time to go forward and never again must we see the likes of Couzens or Carrick wear a police uniform and never must again must any woman be sexually abused for just doing her job or any officer racially abused for doing their job.

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