Statement on the inspection into Metropolitan Police recruitment and vetting standards

SafeLives welcomes the Government’s decision to commission an urgent independent inspection into recruitment and vetting standards at the Metropolitan Police. We are appalled to learn that vetting checks were reduced over a five-year period, leaving thousands of officers and staff in post without proper scrutiny.  

Predatory individuals look for positions of power and trust, actively seeking out roles that allow them to exert control, avoid scrutiny and increase their capacity to harm. When vetting is weakened or treated as a procedural exercise rather than a safeguarding necessity, it creates the conditions for abuse to occur – and to go undetected. 

This is not a technical failure. It is a profound failure of leadership, accountability and culture and we welcome all steps being taken now to address this, both by the Met and the Government. 

For survivors of domestic abuse, trust in policing has already been deeply eroded. Many tell us they are afraid to report abuse, fearful they will not be believed, or concerned that their safety will not be prioritised. How can victims trust they will be listened to, believed and protected by a force that allows people to abuse their positions of power? 

SafeLives has repeatedly called for urgent and meaningful reform of policing misconduct systems, including a zero-tolerance approach to officers who abuse their position. Time and again, major reviews – including those by Baroness Casey, HMICFRS and Lady Angiolini – have laid bare the systemic failings that allow perpetrators within policing to remain in post, sometimes for years, despite clear warning signs. 

We therefore welcome the inspection being led by HMICFRS and the commitment from the Home Secretary to examine how and why these decisions were allowed to happen. But inspection alone is not enough. 

This Government has committed, through its recently published Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, to improving vetting and disbarring so there is no place for perpetrators within policing. This includes mandatory vetting standards, dismissal for officers who fail to maintain clearance, and stronger requirements to suspend officers under investigation for specified VAWG offences.  We also welcome the new policing National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection.  

Now is the test of delivery. 

We need a system where vetting is meaningful, misconduct is met with real and swift consequences, the safety of survivors is prioritised over institutional reputation, and there is sustained investment in culture change rather than short-term fixes. 

Restoring public confidence in policing will require more than new standards on paper. It will require decisive action, accountability at every level, meaningful training and development with the involvement of specialist services, and a clear message that abuse of power will never be tolerated. 

Survivors deserve nothing less.