Met Police ‘asks hundreds of retired officers with misconduct records to re-apply for job in bid to boost numbers’
- The Met is inviting hundreds of retired officers back in a new recruitment drive
- This includes over 250 officers previously disciplined in misconduct hearings
- A source close to Home Secretary Suella Braverman described it as ‘worrying’
Hundreds of former officers with misconduct records have been invited to re-apply for jobs at the Met Police in order to boost numbers, it has been revealed.
The force has written to over 250 officers who were previously disciplined in misconduct hearings while appealing for their ‘valuable skills and experience’.
A further 99 officers who retired while under investigation have also been invited back, The Times reports, just days after it emerged two to three Scotland Yard officers are expected to appear in court every week on charged in coming months.
In total, the Met wrote to over 3,200 retired officers and encouraged them to apply to the scheme, which awards them full pay alongside their pension.
Hundreds of former officers with misconduct records have been invited to re-apply for jobs at the Met Police in order to boost numbers, it has been revealed.
A source close to Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘This is worrying and the Met police should be making sure any officers coming into the force are of the highest quality’
Only six former officers have been rehired so far, and none had any recent misconduct warnings on their record.
A source close to Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘This is worrying and the Met police should be making sure any officers coming into the force are of the highest quality.’
Although the Met insists all candidates will be fully vetted, the scheme is already raising concerns about background at the force, which has been hit by repeated scandals involving officers in recent years.
In March 2021, serving PC Wayne Couzens carried out the rape and murder of Sarah Everard and was subsequently jailed for life; while officers Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were each sentenced to two years and nine months after sharing pictures on WhatsApp of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry.
This month, PC David Carrick is due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape. Carrick served with the Met for 20 years and was kept on staff despite a string of complaints about his behaviour
Carrick’s case has led to every police staff member in the country being checked against national databases to weed out anyone who may have escaped detection up to now.
Although the Met insists all candidates will be fully vetted, the scheme is already raising concerns about background at the force, which has been hit by repeated scandals involving officers in recent years
Last week, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that more ‘painful stories’ will emerge as moves progress to remove hundreds of corrupt officers who have dodged vetting processes
Last week, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that more ‘painful stories’ will emerge as moves progress to remove hundreds of corrupt officers who have dodged vetting processes.
The police watchdog HMIC (His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary) criticised the Met and other forces’ employment of officers with criminal convictions in a report last November.
The Met is under pressure to attain 4,000 new recruits by March as part of the government’s drive for an extra 20,000 police officers across England and Wales.
A Met spokeswoman said: ‘Six people have returned to the Met under the enhanced return scheme. None of these officers had a live warning or were subject to misconduct proceedings at the time of being accepted back into the Met on this scheme.
‘The enhanced return scheme aims to retain experienced police officers in the Met to ensure we maintain the right workforce balance as we continue to grow at pace.
‘All eligible officers must complete an application form for the scheme and should their application be successful, are invited to attend an interview and are subject to full vetting, including unsatisfactory police performance checks, medical clearance, and reference checks from previous line/senior managers.’
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