London Met Police See Drop in Misconduct Claims Amid National Rise

Hey, want to hear some news about the police? New data shows public complaints actually fell a bit for London’s Met Police, but get this, complaints went way up across all of England and Wales. This news came shortly after some officers were cleared of misconduct.

It follows a case where a man died in custody. He said “I can’t breathe,” but they claimed they didn’t hear him. An Amnesty International UK director spoke out, and they said these incidents damage trust in the police.

People may not want to complain, fearing nothing will happen. Last year, people made 18,372 misconduct allegations against the Met. It’s down from 18,454 the previous year and also down from 18,782 in 2021-22.

A special office investigates these police complaints. They cover policing issues and officer conduct. Last year, around 97,100 complaints arose in England and Wales; this is way up from about 86,200 the year before.

The Amnesty director also said police miss chances to find repeat offenders. He feels people see complaint systems as pointless now, and they worry nothing will change if they speak up.
“Delivery of duties” made up 40% of complaints. People complained about inaction and no updates, and they also disliked the decisions made after investigations.

About 778 allegations against Met officers faced special probes. These involve major stuff like potential crimes. Only 2% of all complaints reached this level.

A police council spokesperson said they are working on this. They strive to create ways for people to report issues, wanting higher standards for officers. They want to quickly identify and remove those who fail.

All complaints will get a thorough review. If you aren’t fit, there’s nowhere to hide, he insisted. A Home Office person said the public expects high standards. Police must protect people and enforce our laws. They encourage people to raise concerns, growing their standards teams to handle it.