Overview
- An internal Met audit found 5,073 officers and staff were not properly vetted, including 4,528 without Special Branch checks, 431 without Ministry of Defence checks, and 114 whose refusals were overturned.
- The force also recorded 3,338 cases with only limited re‑vetting and said 17,355 employees had references not properly checked between 2018 and April 2022, with an estimated 250 who likely would not have been hired.
- At least 131 personnel later committed crimes or misconduct after inadequate vetting, including serial rapists David Carrick and Cliff Mitchell; offences cited include rape, drug use, racism, violence and affray.
- A 2019 panel created to address disproportionality overturned 114 vetting refusals, and 25 of those individuals went on to offend; the panel has since been disbanded.
- The report links shortcuts to pressure to recruit 4,557 officers under the Police Uplift Programme, while the Home Secretary has tasked HMICFRS with an urgent inspection and the Met cites tightened standards and about 1,500 dismissals under Sir Mark Rowley, with senior staff who approved relaxations still in post.