Some Met officers not trusted to talk to public - chief

Some 3,000 Metropolitan Police officers cannot beryllium afloat deployed owed to misconduct allegations oregon wellness issues, including "about 100" who are not trusted to talk to the public, commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said.

He said astir 500 officers of the 3,000 are suspended oregon connected restricted duties.

Sir Mark told the BBC helium lacked the powerfulness to sack them, which helium described arsenic "perverse".

He has been calling for much a alteration successful the rules connected sacking officers.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme immoderate officers were "letting america down".

"I person astir 100 officers successful the organisation who person precise restrictive conditions connected them because, frankly, we don't spot them to speech to members of the nationalist and it's wholly huffy that I person to employment radical similar that arsenic constabulary officers who you can't spot to person interaction with the public, it's ridiculous."

He told presenter Nick Robinson helium was incapable propulsion them retired of the force, owed to restricted powers disposable to him.

"We're looking astatine whether we've got immoderate caller ineligible levers but connected the accepted approaches, we can't, it's perverse, isn't it?," Sir Mark said.

Sir Mark besides confirmed reports helium employs immoderate 3,000 officers helium cannot afloat use. Many, helium said, had "legitimate" wellness issues.

However, helium added: "There's implicit 500 who are suspended oregon restricted due to the fact that of misconduct investigations and there's excessively galore who person restrictions that we request to get tougher connected due to the fact that that's much than 10% of my workforce who I can't afloat deploy."

Sir Mark, who took implicit arsenic caput of the Met from Dame Cressida Dick successful September, has vowed to renew spot successful the force, aft a bid of scandals involving immoderate of its officers.

Most notably, the unit has been criticised implicit the execution of Sarah Everard, who was raped and killed by serving serviceman Wayne Couzens successful March 2021.

A caller study by Baroness Casey recovered less than 1% of officers with aggregate misconduct cases against them person been dismissed, and blamed misconduct procedures wrong the force.

Sir Mark said helium was "appalled" by the findings and said "hundreds" of officers should person been thrown out.

He told the BBC that portion the Met has "tens of thousands of large officers who are doing astonishing things time successful and time retired for London", determination were "hundreds of radical who are letting america down and and I'm trying to benignant it out".

He added the unit was getting "more assertive and originative successful our usage of existing powers", and was "encouraged" by the Home Office's "enthusiasm to look again astatine powers to region officers we shouldn't have".