Court ruling hinders Met Police efforts to remove officers deemed unfit, says Commissioner. Sacking via vetting removal is now difficult.
Di Maria faced sexual assault claims, which he maintains are false. The police removed his vetting because of these accusations. He argued it was unfair to remove his vetting, stating the accusations were not proven in court.
Sir Mark said the ruling makes policing very hard, claiming they now lack a way to remove bad officers, specifically those untrustworthy with women or who might abuse vulnerable people. Sir Mark thinks it’s wrong they can’t legally fire them; he said other jobs handle this better.
He wants the government to change the vetting rules quickly. Mayor Sadiq Khan reacted to Tuesday’s court ruling, saying it hurts the Met’s efforts to improve and remove officers unfit to serve.
Khan said there should be no hiding for abusers in the police. He works with the police chief to pursue higher standards and public trust. Khan believes no one failing vetting should be an officer and vows to work with partners to assess the ruling’s impact.