‘Appalling, potentially criminal, behaviour’ – Rowley letter to home secretarypublished at 07:46 BST

07:46 BST

Ahead of Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley’s appearance on BBC London, a letter he’s written to the home secretary and mayor of London has just been published on the Met’s X account.

In it, Rowley condemns the “appalling, potentially criminal, behaviour” exhibited by some Met officers in last night’s BBC Panorama programme – and he adds:

“It’s my expectation that for those involved, where there is controvertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslin sentiment or bragging about exercise of force, they will be put on a fast-tracking hearing within weeks and on a path to likely dismissal.”

Rowley also explains the “immediate steps” taken by the Met after it was alerted to the BBC’s findings “in the form of a 13-page letter”.

This includes, he says, the suspension of “nine officers and one staff member” within “48 hours” of the letter being received.

You can read the letter in full below:

A screenshot of a letter from Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan It says: "Dear Home Secretary and Mayor, Tonight's BBC Panorama 'Undercover in the Police' has once again placed a spotlight on the culture and standards of the Metropolitan Police Service. The behaviours of some of the Met officers and staff featured in the show are reprehensible and completely unacceptable In the programme we saw appalling, potentially criminal, behaviour from officers, that lets down our communities and will cause Londoners to question if they are safe in our custody, and whether they would be believed and respected as victims of crime. This damages trust and confidence, and I have apologised to those we serve. It's my expectation that for those involved, where there is incontrovertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim sentiment or bragging about excessive use of force, they will be put on a fast-track hearing within weeks and on a path to likely dismissal. We stand ready to work with the IOPC to make this happen. As Commissioner, I have been candid about the longstanding systemic, cultural, leadership and regulatory failings that have allowed misogyny, racism and a lack of public service ethos to put down deep roots. We are part way into conducting what is already the biggest corruption clear-out in British policing history, more robust than the Met has been historically and relentlessly arresting and sacking officers and staff with nearly 1,500 removed so far In light of the deep concern that I know Londoners will have following Panorama, I wanted to share a detailed update with you on the immediate steps we took upon being alerted by the BBC; provide an update on our relentless focus on culture and standards, and share how this focus will continue as we deliver New Met for London 2 the next phase of our reforming strategy. Immediate Actions The Met was alerted to these allegations by BBC on 9th September in the form of a 13-page letter. Within 48 hours of the letter being received, nine officers and one staff member had been suspended, with two more officers being removed from frontline duties. The Met also referred these allegations to the IOPC who have since taken the investigation independently, with the Met's full support."Image source, X/MetPoliceUK