Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services said the force is now being closely scrutinised.
28 June 2022
The UK’s largest police force has been placed under special measures following a series of failures.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said the Metropolitan Police is being closely scrutinised having faced extensive criticism following the death of Sarah Everard, who was abducted and murdered by serving Met police officer Wayne Couzens and the Charing Cross police station scandal.
Home Secretary Priti Patel welcomed the move, saying: “I expect the police to get the basics right. It is clear the Metropolitan Police Service is falling short of these expectations which is why I support the action that HMICFRS has taken today to highlight their failings…”
A spokeswoman for the HMICFRS said: “We can confirm that we are now monitoring the Metropolitan Police Service through our Engage process, which provides additional scrutiny and support to help it make improvements.”
According to the policing watchdog’s website, a force enters the engage process if it is “not responding to a cause of concern, or if it is not succeeding in managing, mitigating or eradicating the cause of concern”.
It adds: “In the Engage phase, forces will develop an improvement plan to address the specific cause(s) of concern that has caused them to be placed in the advanced phase of the monitoring process. The force may receive support from external organisations such as the College of Policing or the National Police Chiefs’ Council, brokered by HMICFRS.”
