‘APPALLED’ police bosses in Warwickshire have responded to a ‘horrific’ report on the Metropolitan Police by committing to ‘root out’ racism, misogyny and homophobia within their own force.
The Baroness Casey Review into behaviour and culture of policing in London condemned the Met as institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic.
Warwickshire Police Chief Constable Debbie Tedds said she was shocked and appalled at the report’s findings, and reiterated a commitment to making Warwickshire Police anti-misogynistic, anti-homophobic and anti-discriminatory.
She said: “Within my own workforce, sadly there will be some people who see some of their own behaviours and conduct within the report – these are the individuals we need to root out of policing.
“The vast majority of our workforce are good, hard-working, professional individuals, who do the right thing to support communities in Warwickshire.”
She added that prospective officers had undergone ‘vigorous checks’, some of whom had failed and not been accepted into the force.
“All members are currently having their records checked against the police intelligence database to ensure we understand any information or intelligence that may require further investigation,” she added.
“As I am the national lead for vetting in policing, I am committed to ensuring that vetting and misconduct processes in our force meet all the national requirements and standards.”
She said an internal campaign named Operation Amethyst was launched last month to ‘eradicate inappropriate behaviours from our force’ by encouraging staff to challenge and report behaviours that made them feel ‘uncomfortable, embarrassed, intimidated, degraded or humiliated’.
She added: “Warwickshire Police is here to protect people from harm. We do this by preventing crime, engaging with our communities, and thoroughly investigating and bringing offenders to justice.
“We are committed to providing consistent, high-quality local policing services and we want our communities to have trust and confidence in what we do.”
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said the Baroness Casey Review made for ‘horrific reading’.
He said: “Members of all communities will feel significantly let down and angered by the racism, sexism and homophobia the report highlights.
“There are cases of police abuse of authority, corruption and criminality which have emerged in forces all over the country, including examples from Warwickshire.”
He said all police forces needed ask themselves whether any similar behaviours existed in their workforce.
“Only by doing so can the public have that full reassurance that misogynistic, homophobic, and racist behaviour is being rooted out,” he added.
“It is my role to hold the Chief Constable to account and ask searching and sometimes difficult questions on behalf of residents, in order to help restore trust and confidence.
“I have already sought further information around the arrangements on police vetting from the Chief Constable and I will now be studying the recommendations of the Casey Review to understand how they may be applicable to Warwickshire.
“Only by answering the legitimate questions that arise from such a damning assessment can policing demonstrate that it really does have officers and staff of the highest calibre and that arrangements to protect the public from those who seek to subvert the system are robust and effective.”
Visit https://tinyurl.com/5477kktr to read the The Baroness Casey Review.
