Metropolitan Police Service: return to default phase of monitoring

Published on: 23 January 2025

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Letter information

From
HMI Lee Freeman KPM
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary
His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services

To
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley
Metropolitan Police Service

Cc
Sir Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London

Sent on
23 January 2025

Metropolitan Police Service: return to default phase of monitoring

Thank you for the thorough presentation and discussion at the Policing Performance Oversight Group on Wednesday 22 January.

I am pleased to let you know that His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Sir Andy Cooke, has decided to return the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to our default phase of monitoring, which is known as Scan.

This decision is supported by the fact we have been able to close the causes of concern we issued in:

This decision is further supported by the progress the MPS has made against matters related to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report, and the Milestone Plan we agreed with the force in May 2024 to help track improvements.

Background

On 28 June 2022, we moved the MPS into our enhanced monitoring process, Engage. In Engage, we provide additional accountability and support to forces when there are causes of concern about their efficiency, effectiveness or legitimacy that appear to need closer scrutiny.

We moved the MPS into our enhanced monitoring process after we identified fundamental issues with its call handling and professional standards, and systematic failures across the force. The findings of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report also formed part of the rationale for moving the force to Engage.

In our 2023 inspection of the MPS’s handling of the sexual and criminal exploitation of children, we identified three causes of concern. As a result of their severity, we added these causes of concern to the Engage process.

After detailed revisit work, we have closed the causes of concern linked to call handling, professional standards, the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report and the MPS’s handling of child exploitation. And the force has completed the associated recommendations.

Our concerns about the MPS’s handling of child sexual and criminal exploitation

In September and October 2023, we inspected the MPS’s handling of the sexual and criminal exploitation of children. We issued three causes of concern about how the force managed cases involving missing and exploited children.

Two of these causes of concern were accelerated because the force’s approach to child protection was putting vulnerable children at risk.

The first accelerated cause of concern was:

Cause of concern

The force needs to improve how it identifies and assesses risks, and how it responds, when children are reported missing.

Recommendation

Recommendation 1

By 31 December 2023, the Metropolitan Police Service should make sure that, in respect of missing children:

  • those responsible for grading the risks to which each missing child is exposed are sufficiently trained and able to appropriately assess the risks, using all relevant information held by or available to the force;
  • it appropriately assesses risk in all cases; and
  • it investigates cases of missing children effectively from the first point of contact and that its response is proportionate to the level of risk.

The second accelerated cause of concern was:

Cause of concern

The force should improve its investigations when children are at risk of, or harmed by, criminal or sexual exploitation.

Recommendation

Recommendation 2

By 31 December 2023, the Metropolitan Police Service should make sure that:

  • it allocates exploitation investigations to officers and staff who have the appropriate knowledge and skills;
  • supervisors review investigations regularly, clearly record any work that is still needed and monitor deadlines for completion;
  • it follows all reasonable lines of enquiry to identify suspects;
  • it pursues evidence-led prosecutions and appropriate disruption activities in circumstances when a victim doesn’t support an investigation; and
  • it complies with the requirements for forces established in the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime in England and Wales.

The third cause of concern, which was not accelerated, was:

Cause of concern

The force needs to make sure its officers and staff, at all ranks and grades, understand what victim blaming is and how it affects the service they provide.

Recommendation

Recommendation 3

By 31 July 2024, the Metropolitan Police Service should make sure that:

  • it provides training and guidance to officers and staff at all ranks and grades to help them understand victim-blaming language and its effect;
  • training and guidance include how children are affected by childhood trauma;
  • officers and staff of all grades and ranks are encouraged to challenge victim‑blaming language when they see or hear it; and
  • it has systems in place to carry out regular checks and make sure victim-blaming language is stopped.

In 2024, we carried out two revisits to the MPS to assess its processes for tackling child exploitation. We will publish detailed findings from this revisit work in a separate report later in 2025. In our revisits, we found the MPS had made significant improvements in how it assesses and investigates missing children and crimes involving exploited children. The force now has an audit process to help identify victim-blaming language and is making good progress in changing how officers and staff understand children.

In January 2025, we closed these causes of concern.

Our concerns about systematic failings in both force performance and governance

In our inspection reports, we identified that systematic failings in force performance and governance over several years were undermining the MPS’s ability to improve its service. Given the complexity of these issues, in May 2024, we agreed a Milestone Plan linked to the New Met for London Plan: 2023–2025 to help us track improvements. The Milestone Plan details key actions and associated outcomes designed to generate improvements in service. The Milestone Plan has three pillars:

  • frontline policing transformation, including public protection, neighbourhood policing and end-to-end investigations;
  • strategic workforce planning, including IT systems that help identify where officers and staff are located and what skills they possess; and
  • culture, leadership and professionalism, including promoting the force’s values and principles and leadership and training.

In autumn 2024, we carried out a significant number of visits to the force to assess the impact of the work it had done against the Milestone Plan. This process has provided additional independent assurance to support the force’s own enhanced internal audit and assessment of progress. We found notable changes and improvements in how the force was operating. At the time of our inspection, the systems for operational support and governance of frontline police officers were either in place or due to be implemented. And the foundations of HR and learning and development were significantly better.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I am pleased that the MPS is continuing to make good progress. I am satisfied that it has made sufficient progress to address concerns in respect of the areas highlighted above.

There is still a significant amount of work to do to transform the MPS. But I am reassured by the plans that the commissioner has put in place to continue making sustainable improvements.

The MPS has returned to Scan, our default phase of monitoring, with immediate effect. I have copied this letter to the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan.

We will continue to monitor the MPS’s progress as part of our PEEL programme.

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Metropolitan Police Service: return to default phase of monitoring

Last updated: 23 January 2025