London's Met Police wins appeal to broaden officer vetting
The Metropolitan Police in London has won a legal appeal to expand its officer vetting procedures. The decision allows the force to consider all misconduct allegations against an officer when assessing their suitability for a role, regardless of whether the allegations were formally proven. This change significantly broadens the scope of information that can be reviewed during internal assessments.
- The legal challenge originated from a February 2025 High Court ruling which found that Scotland Yard could not lawfully dismiss an officer, Sergeant Lino Di Maria, by withdrawing his vetting clearance based on unproven sexual assault allegations. - The Court of Appeal's decision reverses this, establishing that vetting is an "assessment of risk" for the future, distinct from disciplinary proceedings which determine whether a specific past event happened on the "balance of probabilities". - This ruling is a key part of Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's efforts to reform the force following the damning Baroness Casey Review, which found institutional racism, misogyny, and homophobia, and described recruitment and vetting systems as poor. - The Casey Review was commissioned after a series of high-profile scandals, including the kidnap, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens and the revelation that officer David Carrick was one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders. - Under a process called Operation Assure, which the original High Court ruling challenged, the Met had already caused 96 officers with worrying patterns of behavior, including many with sexual offending allegations, to be sacked or resign. - While the appeal was ongoing, the Home Office introduced new vetting regulations in May 2025 designed to make it easier to dismiss officers who fail vetting checks. - The Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, had supported the initial legal challenge, arguing that while they want unfit officers removed, any dismissal process must be fair, legal, and not circumvent statutory misconduct procedures. - A 2023 report highlighted systemic issues in the misconduct process, finding that between 2013 and 2022, less than 1% of officers with two or more misconduct cases against them had been dismissed.
