Hundreds of UK officers should never have been appointed, says police watchdog

Hundreds of people who joined the police in the last three years should not have been allowed in, a senior police official has said. Mr Parr said one in ten officers his team looked at should never have made it through vetting, adding that it was not a random sample but it “still adds up to hundreds of people who have joined the police in the last three years that we don’t think should have”. David Carrick pleaded guilty to 49 offences, including 24 counts of rape, against 12 women between 2003 and 2020 Following the revelation of details of Carrick’s crimes last month, the Home Office ordered a major review of the police disciplinary process to ensure officers who “are not fit to serve the public” and “fall short of the high standards expected” can be sacked. Wayne Couzens was a serving Metropolitan Police officer when he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard Asked if rape has been “effectively decriminalised” because of a low percentage of reported offences ending in a conviction, Mr Parr said most, if not all, serving female police officers have had to endure sexual assault and inappropriate behaviour from fellow officers. He added: “The culture of misogyny within policing is something that is there, it’s real and it has absolutely got to be dealt with.” Sir Mark Rowley took over as Met Commissioner in September 2022 following the departure of Dame Cressida Dick, and Mr Parr said he believes the new leadership team has “smelt the coffee” and “understand that they can’t any longer write this off as a few bad apples”.