10 November 2023 , 00:01
852
0
Police forces must bring in a blanket ban on officers paying for sex in a raft of measures to improve trust, MPs say.
A scathing new report says steps to root out bad behaviour by officers "aren't good enough". After hearing months of evidence, the cross-party Commons Home Affairs Select Committee said chiefs needed to do more to stamp out sexism, racism and homophobia.
Committee chairwoman Dame Diana Johnson called on bosses to follow the lead of the Met Police, which has forbidden officers from paying for sex. She said: “Current mechanisms for rooting out bad behaviour, unprofessionalism and even serious criminality among serving officers are simply not good enough.
"Forces need to face up to the reality of sexism, racism and homophobia in their ranks and take systemic action to stamp it out. The Met have set the right example to forces nationwide, for instance, by banning police officers from paying for sex and so perpetrating commercial sexual exploitation. This policy should be adopted by every force across the country."
The latest report said that policing's first priority must be to "look inward" and ensure it has the right people and right culture in place. It said there is an urgent need for ways to root out those who are "fundamentally unfit to hold such a position of power".
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
Public confidence has been shaken by the cases of Sarah Everard killer Wayne Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick, MPs were told. They demanded barriers to dismissal should be removed.
The committee said the Met Police remains "a particular concern and must be shown to demonstrate real institutional change". Forces which fail to carry out sufficient vetting should be sanctioned, it recommended.
Voicing frustration over the length of time it takes to deal with rogue officers, members wrote: "Public confidence that allegations against officers will be taken seriously is eroded by the drawn out disciplinary process. It should not take two to three years to decide whether an officer facing serious allegations should be dismissed."