‘Shocking’: London police rocked by undercover BBC investigation, Starmer calls for ‘robust’ response

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for a “robust” response from the head of London’s Metropolitan Police after a BBC report uncovered cases of misogyny and racism displayed by officials.

“I’ve not yet seen the footage, but I’ve had it described to me, and it’s shocking, and I’m glad the commissioner is responding. He needs to be very robust in his response,” Starmer told reporters ahead of a meeting with European leaders in Copenhagen.

What does the report say?

Rory Bibb, the reporter behind the bombshell BBC report, spent seven months in the guise of a civilian working as a detention officer in the custody suite of Charing Cross police station in central London.

Read Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's full letter to the Home Secretary and Mayor of London following last night's BBC Panorama programme.

➡️ https://t.co/Z8F95Ly2Or pic.twitter.com/36nuM0DVqD

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 2, 2025

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The resulting BBC Panorama documentary uncovered misogynistic, racist and Islamophobic misconduct by officers, prompting an apology from Met Commissioner Mark Rowley on Wednesday.

“Officers behaving in such appalling, criminal ways, let down our communities,” Rowley said in a statement.

“The behaviour depicted in this programme is reprehensible and completely unacceptable,” he added.

The chief said that the custody team in the Charing Cross police station had been disbanded after the documentary went live.

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During the reporter’s time undercover, “officers called for immigrants to be shot, revelled in the use of force and were dismissive of rape claims,” the BBC said in a statement.

Several male police officers were secretly filmed making shocking statements, including that a detainee who had overstayed his visa should have “a bullet through his head”, and that migrants from Algeria and Somalia were “scum”.

With inputs from AFP