The Metropolitan Police, which has been embroiled in scandal, conducted investigations into over a thousand officers for misconduct in the past four years. Surprisingly, only 413 officers were either fired or resigned voluntarily following allegations of misconduct, despite 1,345 officers being scrutinized for wrongdoing. These revelations, uncovered through Freedom of Information requests, came to light after a BBC Panorama documentary exposed a toxic and misogynistic culture within the UK’s largest police force.
Between 2022 and 2025, out of the 932 officers who retained their positions, only five faced demotions, while 323 received written warnings and 133 received final warnings. Additionally, 21 officers faced no further action, and 441 had their cases dismissed as “unproven.” Furthermore, 199 support staff were investigated for misconduct, resulting in only 61 being dismissed.
Gemma Sherrington from the domestic abuse charity Refuge expressed deep concern over the findings, emphasizing that reports of police misconduct often do not lead to dismissals, even in cases involving violence against women and girls. She highlighted the failure of the Metropolitan Police to address institutional misogyny and the importance of rebuilding trust with women.
Kenny MacAulay from Acting Office, a software company combating institutional corruption, stressed the necessity for high standards within organizations like the Met to identify and address suspected misconduct effectively. He emphasized the importance of rigorous screening processes and background checks to ensure trustworthiness among frontline and support staff.
Misconduct encompasses a broad range of behaviors that violate professional standards, including abuse of authority, dishonesty, evidence tampering, unlawful arrests, brutality, assault, racial profiling, theft, and actions that undermine public trust in the police force.
These revelations, along with the disturbing findings from the Panorama documentary, followed Baroness Casey’s 2024 review, initiated after the tragic murder of Sarah Everard by Met officer Wayne Couzens. The review condemned the Met as institutionally racist. Despite widespread criticism, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley vowed not to resign.
Following the documentary, five officers were dismissed after being filmed secretly, while five others are slated to undergo misconduct hearings as part of the Met’s expedited disciplinary procedures.