UK’s Met Police ‘racist, sexist, homophobic, killers, rapists’; fix it or disband it: Review

London: The 200-year-old Metropolitan Police of the UK, established as the first organised English police service, is on the verge of being dissolved. An evaluation has exposed the Met has not just become institutionally racist, sexist, homophobic, but also a place that nourishes predators and protects them. The shocking revelations followed after Baroness Loise Casey conducted an internal review of the police force and found that there may be more officers like killer Wayne Couzens and rapist David Carrick. Casey, reportedly, spent a year investigating the Met Police in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by Couzens and prepared a 363-page report, released on Tuesday. In the report, she said Britain’s largest force needs a “complete overhaul” and may need to be broken up. She made a number of suggestions to “fix” the Met, including the proposal to “effectively disband” the unit that Carrick, one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders, and Couzens both served in. She discovered proof of widespread bullying, racial attitudes, and “deep-seated homophobia” in the force in her report. “I cannot sufficiently assure you that that is not the case,” Baroness Casey replied when asked if there could be more officers in the Met like Couzens and Carrick. Key Findings In the report, Casey found multiple incidents of officers misusing their powers to their own benefit. Even in the rape case against Carrick, Casey found that there was no action taken by the Met and that Carrick was only apprehended as a result of one of his victims hearing a statement from Ms. Everard’s distraught mother and being moved to call Hertfordshire Police.\ Also Read: ‘Rape may as well be legal in London’: UK Police review reveals woes of sexual crime victims In another incident, a policewoman told Casey how she tried to end her own life over the Met’s handling of her abuse allegations against another officer According to the report, staff members were informed that rape cases “would be dropped” as a result of a broken Met Police freezer that held potential victims’ testimony. In a different instance, a lunchbox was discovered in the same refrigerator as rape samples, tainting the evidence. In the review, Casey’s report claimed that Couzens and Carrick told her that the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in which they both served, is “a dark corner of the Met where bad behaviours can easily flourish.” Further, she found that the Met’s MO19 specialized firearms command had a “deeply troubling, toxic culture,” which included a training desk where “men hold competitions on how often they can make their female students cry.” A female police officer claimed she was “labelled a trouble-maker” after accusing a more senior coworker of sexual abuse. Moreover, an openly gay police officer who had been the subject of a “sustained campaign of homophobia from within the Met” told the review: “I am scared of the police.” A domestic abuse victim was “groomed” by one officer, and a white woman found purchasing drugs from a black man was referred to as a “n***** lover” by another. The Met Police, according to Baroness Casey, “has allowed predatory and unacceptable behaviour to flourish,” and there is a “culture of denial” within the organization. She demanded that the Met “change itself,” adding that it was not the responsibility of the general population to protect itself from law enforcement. “The police’s responsibility is to keep the general population safe,” she said. ‘Break the force’ While advising to break up the force, Casey said, “dividing up the Met…should be considered” if “sufficient progress” was not made in reforming the force. Deja VU Casey’s report calling Met police institutionally racist recalls the findings of the Macpherson Inquiry, which was conducted in 1999 following the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the egregious errors in the Met’s handling of his death investigation. The review discovered that the force has stayed predominately white and male ever since. ‘Politicised and Ambiguous’ Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley expressed regret and said he accepted the “diagnosis” of bias in the force in reaction to the report. He refused to use the word “institutional,” though, claiming that it was politicised and ambiguous. The senior officer, who took over as Met chief from Dame Cressida Dick last year, said the revelations had left him and his department feeling “shame and anger,” but they had also strengthened their determination. “The horrifying examples of discrimination, the betrayal of communities and victims, and the strain on the frontline in this report are unacceptable,” he declared. “We have let people down, and I’d like to repeat my apology to the people of London and the Met staff from my first few weeks on the job. I apologize. “I want us to have a zero tolerance for racism, misogyny, and homophobia. In reality, I want us to be against all forms of discrimination. Even though Baroness Casey expressed disappointment that Sir Mark refused to accept the word “institutional” in relation to her findings, she said she would wait to see what steps the force decides to take in the upcoming weeks and months. Must Read: Over 1500 UK police officers accused of rape, sexual harassment in 6 months, just 13 sacked Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.