Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, has today launched a scathing attack on the Met Police following its latest inspection report which once again is critical of the performance and scale of reform of the service.

The Council Leader agreed with the findings of the report, slamming the organisation’s inaction and inability to change despite several reports and reviews over the years and high-profile cases that have uncovered inexcusable Met failings. He called for the service to have greater accountability to London council leaders.

The report, which was published today, highlighted a number of areas where the Metropolitan Police was found to be failing. These include a lack of expertise among officers, heavy workloads, lack of enquiring minds and a lack of progress on issues identified in the Stephen Port inquest, which ruled in December 2021 that fundamental failings by the Met “probably” contributed to the deaths of three men in Barking.

This latest report sets out around 20 recommendations including improving LGBT+ relations, family liaison and training.

Cllr Rodwell said: “This report does not tell us anything new, but rather underscores what countless reports have now shown - that there are serious organisational failings throughout the Metropolitan Police Force. I am not reassured any meaningful lessons have been learned following the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor. It is concerning to hear Inspectors have said they cannot be confident that another similar incident won’t happen again.

“This report, just like the Casey report, is a depressing reminder of widespread institutional discrimination in the Met Police. It is unbelievable we are where we are nearly a quarter of a century since the Macpherson report of 1999 which found institutional racism was at the heart of the Met’s failure to investigate the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

“We will not stand by and see the Metropolitan Police Force failing to meet our expectations when my residents, and people living across the capital, deserve so much more.

“The government must get a grip of this. The force must have all the support and resources to do its job effectively. There must also be an overhaul of governance of the Met so it works more closely with local authorities to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by London’s boroughs.

Cllr Rodwell added: “The Met has been a complete mess for quite some time, and it remains to be seen if the current commissioner will be able to bring in the much-needed changes. It is obvious there is a culture of denial throughout the organisation. It is not just a few bad apples. And the time for putting hands up and acknowledging failures is over – we need action, and we need it now.

Cllr Rodwell also condemns the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as not fit for purpose and questions the delay in concluding the second investigation into the murders of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor in Barking. 

“The failures keep stacking up – we are yet to see actual improvements and at the heart of this is the attitude to LGBT+ people and the mindset of officers during an investigation. We need a clear accountability mechanism and that needs to happen as a matter of urgency.

“The level of incompetence is so evident, yet officers involved in the Stephen Port investigation are still serving in the force and have not been made accountable. The IOPC owe it to the families and friends of Anthony, Gabriel, Daniel and Jack, and the LGBT+ community, to finally consider the role homophobia played in the shocking failures that have long since been exposed in the police investigations. 

“I have written to two Home Secretaries over the years about the IOPC’s own review in 2019, which fell short of proposing sanctions for those involved in the Stephen Port investigation, despite identifying systemic failings in it. If we are to restore public confidence in the police, it must be so for all our communities. I have also asked them for a review of the IOPC, to judge whether it is fit for purpose, and if it has the capability to act objectively and impartially and command the confidence of the public.”

Cllr Rodwell continued, “I acknowledge and appreciate the bravery and courage many of our police officers show every day, including their readiness to put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. But that is why it is vital that those who run the Met, and the government who fund it, finally come forward with a plan to deliver the changes we need to see which will rebuild essential trust between the police and our communities.

“Importantly, I feel it is time for the Metropolitan Police to be much more accountable to London council leaders – we know our communities better and can hold them to account.

“We will fail our local communities, and do a disservice to our police service, if we fail to respond to the need to modernise British policing at key moments like this.”