Racism, Bullying and Sexual Harassment; An Investigation Exposes the British Police Scandals

British police were plunged into crisis on Tuesday, February 01, 2022, after a surprise investigation uncovered disgraceful behavior by London police officers, denting Britons' confidence in the country's most powerful force.

Human rights organizations called on British Home Secretary Priti Patel to open an investigation into what they described as the dangerous behaviors prevalent among British policemen.

Especially since the report comes a few months after a crime that shook British society, in which a police officer is accused of kidnapping Sarah Everard, 33, of raping and then killing her.

Following the findings of the investigation, the Metropolitan (Met) Police Service was forced to apologize for the racist and gender-disgraceful behavior of British police officers.

 

Shocking Investigation

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) Conduct concluded that sexual harassment, racism and bullying are a prevalent culture in British police services.

The IOPC condemned police officers at Charing Cross Station officers near Trafalgar Square in central London with a range of shameful and disgraceful behavior.

IOPC investigation was launched in 2018 after a complaint alleging that an officer had sex with a drunk vulnerable female at a police station, but investigations later discovered more interesting facts.

The IOPC had called for more evidence, with other Met Police officers providing evidence of their colleagues implicated in bullying, violence against women, perverting the course of justice, and using discriminatory language.

According to Sky News, the investigation largely looked at messages exchanged between a group of 19 police officers at Charing Cross between 2016 and 2018.

IOPC investigation revealed shocking details of the content of some messages, which included sexual insults against women, threats of beatings and rape, racist comments about Muslims, racial discrimination against Africans, and jokes about the Jewish Holocaust.

The investigation also revealed that two officers were involved in sexual activity while on duty, in addition to the fact that some of those officers deliberately omitted material related to an ongoing criminal investigation.

WhatsApp messages showed that one of the officers was nicknamed “McRapey Raperson” due to his behavior towards women and rumors that he brought a woman to the police station for sex.

Other WhatsApp messages also showed British police officers using derogatory language when talking about Muslims visiting mosques and about Africans, as well as making jokes about the Holocaust.

Investigators reviewed thousands of messages exchanged by officers, many described them as being highly sexist, discriminatory or suggestive of violence.

Police officers justified the content of the messages when questioned as joking, which has put British police in the crosshairs of criticism.

Nine of the 14 officers investigated are still on duty, while two officers have been dismissed for gross misconduct and placed on a no-work list again in the police, the misconduct of three other officers was proven, while another officer resigned before disciplinary procedures could be completed, according to an IOPC investigation.

IOPC provided 15 recommendations to seek to address core cultural issues and urged the Police Commission to publicly commit to being an anti-racist organization with a zero-tolerance policy towards sexism, misogyny, bullying and harassment.

 

Rooted Culture

Messages circulated among police officers prove that racism, sexual harassment and masculinity are a deeply rooted culture in British police, despite the insistence of the British police leadership over the past period to deny the existence of a discriminatory culture within the largest force in the country.

However, as the results of the IOPC investigation were published, the Met had to apologize to the public, and said that “the appalling behavior of officers at Charing Cross Police Station did not represent the values of force.”

UK Police Chief Constable Cressida Dick said: “I am deeply sorry for this and recognize that real change is needed and are currently building a service that does not tolerate bullying and discrimination.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Bas Javid said: “I am outraged and disappointed to see officers involved in spreading racist and gender-discriminatory messages. We obviously have a lot of work to do to ensure that there is no bullying and discrimination in any part of the Met Police Commission.”

Commenting on the findings of the IOPC, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Being a police officer is a privilege that has been abused by these mentally ill officers.”

The Minister indicated that she expects the Force and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to implement the recommendations of the investigation as soon as practicable.

In turn, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I am completely disgusted by the behavior outlined in the IOPC investigation. This, which details the appalling behaviors of police officers. The behavior of these officers was completely unacceptable and has damaged confidence in the police force.”

“The behavior that we detected was outrageous and was well below the standards expected from the officers involved,” said Sal Naseem, IOPC's regional director.

“Our investigation showed that the officers' use of pranks became a cover for bullying and harassment. Colleagues were afraid to speak out about these behaviors for fear of being ostracized, humiliated, or told of another job,” Naseem said.

“We hope the Learning and Recommendations Report will give officers the confidence to come forward knowing that people are listening and that changes will be made,” Naseem emphasized.

 

Shameful Behaviors

The shocking results of the investigation also prompted British MPs, including Diane Abbott and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, to demand the dismissal of Commissioner Cressida Dick, which they considered a reason for the spread of racism and patriarchy among the police, since she has been in office since 2017, which is considered ineligible for her. To lead reform in the police apparatus.

It is noteworthy that Dick's five-year term was due to end next April, but the Mayor of London and the Home Secretary agreed last year to extend her tenure for an additional two years.

The decision to extend Dick's term prompted the Committee for Victims of Police Incompetence and Corruption in Britain at the time to criticize the decision in an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, demanding a no-confidence vote against Dick and holding the Met Police accountable for its failures.

British blogger Sarah Hughes said in a tweet on her account on Twitter: “This investigation joins a long list of disgraceful conduct by London police officers, which contributed to lowering the confidence of the British in the police force, especially with regard to the security and safety of women.”

Hughes also wondered why there was no intervention to combat these phenomena within the British police community.

In turn, the Commissioner for Victims Affairs in the Office of the Mayor of London, Claire Waxman, through a tweet on her account on Twitter, described the results of this investigation as painful.

“It required imposing changes in the culture of the British police force, in order for victims of abuse and crime to feel confident enough to come forward and report their experiences,” Waxman said.

Separately, an independent review of Met Police Culture is currently underway by Baroness Louise Casey, following the kidnapping, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Police Officer Wayne Couzens, the force's vetting, recruitment and training procedures will be examined.

A two-part independent inquiry headed by Elish Angiolini QC will also look into Officer Couzens' conduct during his career, whether any shameful conduct was left to him, and whether allegations against him were properly dealt with.

“IOPC investigation has not revealed a peculiar phenomenon, in which institutional racism and corruption within all police forces across the UK is a widely accepted fact that is openly embraced, overlooked, and in many cases encouraged or ignored,” according to observers.

Since Boris Johnson became prime minister at the end of 2019, his era has been characterized by a lot of controversy, to the point of describing it as racism, which would have restricted the Muslim community and Africans.

In addition to Johnson's dictatorial tendencies, which he seeks to acquire through the amendments made by his government to the police law and the imposition of public order.