Crisis at the Met: record 68 sexual assault claims filed

Reports of sexual assault involving officers and staff of London’s Metropolitan police have tripled in the five years since Sarah Everard was raped and murdered, new figures reveal.

Last year, there were 68 reports of sexual assault against the force, the highest number on record, according to figures obtained by the Telegraph.

In 2021, there were 21 allegations of sexual assault against the Met, the year that Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens kidnapped, raped, and murdered 33-year-old Everard.

The figures also indicated there were 138 active investigations into Met officers and staff accused of issues related to sexual misconduct. Police constables were more frequently accused than officers of other ranks, the data showed.

Meanwhile, across the UK, dozens of serving police officers have been investigated for rape since Everard’s murder, a report by Sky News found.

“It’s an incredibly awful truth that we have abusers and perpetrators inside our organization,” Helen Millichap, deputy assistant commissioner at the Met, told the outlet.

The Met has stated that the increase in reports and investigations since 2021 is due to more people coming forward.

“We have relentlessly pursued and removed those who did not meet the standards we expect – around 1,500 officers and staff have exited since 2022, at an unprecedented pace,” a spokesperson said.

Other figures reveal a sharp rise in allegations of domestic abuse, including sexual assault, against police officers. There were 330 allegations in 2025, up from 195 in 2021 and 78 in 2010, the earliest year for which figures are available.

Following Everard’s murder, an independent report led by Baroness Casey and published in 2023 found the Met was institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic.

A new investigation led by Dr. Gillian Fairfield is now underway to determine whether failings highlighted by the 2023 report have been “permanently repaired” or just “papered over.”

Joshua Carroll is a writer and journalist.