Calls for Cressida Dick to go NOW as report exposes how officers joked on WhatsApp about 'raping' and 'hate-f**king' female colleagues and 'killing black children' with one cop dubbed 'mcrapey raperson'... and NINE of them are STILL employed
Cressida Dick was urged to finally quit today as a shattering watchdog report exposed how officers joked about 'raping' and 'hate-f*****g' female colleagues, 'killing black children', and beating their partners in a series of highly offensive racist, sexist and homophobic messages which they tried to excuse as 'banter'.
A male officer told a female colleague 'I would happily rape you' and 'if I was single I would happily chloroform you' in just one of a raft of horrific messages uncovered during an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
One officer was known as 'mcrapey raperson' because of his reputation for ''harassing [women], getting on them, do you know what I mean being like, just a d***''.'
Nine of the 14 officers investigated are still serving in the force - with just two sacked - with critics accusing bosses of failing to root out an insidious culture described by investigators as 'widespread' rather than the result of 'just a few bad apples'.
The highly critical report is just the latest scandal to hit crisis-prone Met commissioner Cressida Dick, currently facing criticism over her handling of the No10 Partygate scandal, and provides yet more proof of the rotten culture at Britain's largest force.
Today, former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal said it was time for Dame Cressida to go. 'Those of you (usually men) who like to say it's ''one bad apple'' need to read this,' he said.
'The Met Police may be the worst for institutional misogyny & racism but they're not the only ones. Only a statutory judge led inquiry will do. Only new leadership will do.'
Institutional failings at the Met were placed under intense scrutiny by the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens - who was allegedly nicknamed 'the rapist' by colleagues during his earlier career as an armed guard for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. Commenting on the watchdog's findings, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the standards of police 'must be raised'.
'It has been clear for some time that there are problems with the culture of the Metropolitan Police, which is why last year I tasked the Angiolini Inquiry and the police inspectorate with investigating these deeply concerning issues,' she said.
'I expect the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor of London to implement the recommendations of this report as soon as practically possible. 'The public rightly expects the behaviour of the police to be beyond reproach - standards must be raised.'
The report also exposed numerous instances of homophobic language, with officers talking about 'f****** gays' and writing 'f*** you bender', in addition to a mass of racist comments including references to African children, Somali people and Auschwitz.
The messages were uncovered as part of nine linked investigations into officers based in Westminster, mostly at Charing Cross police station, which began in March 2018 after allegations that a male officer had sex with a drunk woman at a police station.
The report is just the latest scandal to hit crisis-prone Cressida Dick, and makes particularly chilling reading in light of the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens - who himself was allegedly nicknamed as 'the rapist'
These are MailOnline mock-ups of WhatsApp conversations that were published in the IOPC report. Warning: Graphic language
Today, the Met today apologised for the 'reprehensible behaviour' displayed by its officers and said it had taken 'a series of measures to hold those responsible to account and stamp out unacceptable behaviour'.
But Dame Diana Johnson, the Labour chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, accused the force of not doing enough to root out racists and misogynists.
Touching on the fact that nine of the officers investigated are still serving in the force, the Hull North MP added: 'There is a question about the fact that only two officers have been sacked.'
IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said: 'The behaviour we uncovered was disgraceful and fell well below the standards expected of the officers involved. While these officers predominantly worked in teams in Westminster, which have since been disbanded, we know from other recent cases that these issues are not isolated or historic.
'The learning report we are publishing today is shocking and contains language which is offensive - and some may find it upsetting. However, we felt it was important to provide the context for the public, the Met and other forces, for why such hard-hitting recommendations are necessary.'
While the IOPC acknowledged the work that the Met has done since to improve, Mr Naseem said more needs to be done.
He said: 'Our investigation showed the officers' use of 'banter' became a cover for bullying and harassment. Colleagues were afraid to speak out about these behaviours for fear of being ostracised, demeaned or told to get another job.
'We are grateful to those officers who were brave enough to speak to us about the cultural issues that existed within these teams, realising that in doing so they risked further bullying. This took courage. Hopefully our learning report and recommendations will give officers the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that people are listening and that changes will be made.
'The relationship between the police and the public is critical to maintaining the principle of policing by consent. The concerns about behaviour and culture addressed in our report, if allowed to continue and go unchallenged, risked causing serious damage to that relationship.'
Of the 14 officers investigated, two were fired for gross misconduct and put on a barred list to stop them ever working again for the police. Two officers resigned and two others were disciplined.
Deputy assistant commissioner Bas Javid said: 'I am angry and disappointed to see officers involved in sharing sexist, racist and discriminatory messages. It's clear we have a lot of work to do to ensure bullying and discrimination does not exist in any part of the Met.
'The actions of these officers between 2016 and 2018 were unacceptable, unprofessional, disrespectful and deeply offensive. I read their messages with increasing disgust and shame.
'We haven't waited for the IOPC's report to take action - a number of officers have been subject to misconduct proceedings, including one officer dismissed and one who would have been dismissed had he not already resigned. Every Met employee has also been spoken to about responsible use of social media.
'We recognise that there is need for real change in the Met and we are committed to creating an environment that is even more intolerant to those who do not uphold the high values and standards expected of us.'
A review of culture and standards in the Met is currently being carried out by Baroness Casey, in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: 'I am utterly disgusted by the behaviour outlined in this IOPC report, which details the shocking evidence of discrimination, misogyny, harassment and bullying by police officers.
'The conduct of these officers was totally unacceptable and what has been revealed by these investigations will only further damage public trust and confidence in the police.
'It is right that the team concerned has been disbanded and the police officers found to be involved have been dismissed, disciplined or have left the police.
'Anyone found to be responsible for sexism, racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, antisemitism, bullying or harassment does not deserve to wear the Met uniform and must be rooted out.'
A mock-up of messages sent by a male officer to a female colleague, as revealed in the IOPC investigation
Further mock-ups of messages sent by a male officer during another shocking conversation on WhatsApp
The messages were uncovered as part of nine linked investigations into officers based in Westminster, mostly at Charing Cross police station
With Cressida Dick facing fresh questions over the culture at the Met, here are just some of the horrific comments exposed in the report:
On rape and sexual abuse
One officer's aggressive behaviour towards women was considered so suspect that he was known as 'Mcrapey Raperson'.
The nickname is similar to that of PC Wayne Couzens, the police officer who used his position to abduct, rape and murder Sarah Everard.
Asked why someone at Charing Cross Police Station was called 'Mcrapey Raperson', a colleague said it related to 'harassing them [women], getting on them, do you know what I mean being like, just a d***.
The police officers would tell disgusting jokes about raping women and each other.
Today's report said messages like this were sent on WhatsApp groups containing 17 police officers, also within another WhatsApp group containing 19 police officers.
There was also a private Facebook chat group containing four police officers.
One policeman, known as officer 1, sent messages saying 'I would happily rape you'; 'if I was single I would actually hate f**k you' and 'if I was single I would happily chloroform you'.
On domestic and sexual violence
The policemen sent a plethora of messages about beating up wives and girlfriends, forcing them to have sex to 'shut them up', including at knifepoint, declaring: 'Knock a bird about and she will love you'.
Another said: 'Getting a woman in to bed is like spreading butter. It can be done with a bit of effort using a credit card, but it's quicker and easier just to use a knife.'
Police officers who gave evidence spoke of dominant macho officers, bragging about sexual activity, encouraging each other to 'slap women' or even 'grab her p***y'.
For example, there was an officer described as 'a bit of a ladies man, who would chase and harass women', and that 'there was a 'be careful when he's around' kind of atmosphere.'
WhatsApp groups were dominated by chat including domestic violence, plus sexually explicit, misogynistic and demeaning conversations about women, including partners.
In one conversation 'Officer 1' said: 'And my bird won't stop taking the p**s. Swear to got [sic] I'm going to smack her'. A policeman known as Officer 2 said: 'Slap her one…say you didn't'
Officer 1 then replied 'I`ll f***ing do it. She`s f***ed off home.'
In a later conversation Officer 1 said: 'I f***ing need to take my bird out, won't see her until next Saturday. Then I have to work. Promised to take her out the Friday after. Making it up to her from when I backhanded her'.
Officer 2: 'Grab her by the p***y'. Officer 1 said: 'You ever slapped your missus? It makes them love you more. Seriously since I did that she won't leave me alone. Now I know why these daft c***s are getting murdered by their spastic boyfriends. Knock a bird about and she will love you. Human nature. They are biologically programmed to like that s**t.'
Officer 2 said: 'Lmao' and his colleague replied: 'I'm right though'.
Racism and homophobia
The Met officers joked about black people being robbers, Africans being 'made into dog food', Somalian 'rats' and even the Holocaust.
One police officer described one patrol as having 'walked past the big mosque [as] all the fanatics turn up at to radicalise the young'.
Many of the messages were sent at the time when the Black Lives Matter movement came to prominence around the globe in 2020.
In one WhatsApp group an policeman said: 'My dad kidnapped some African children and used them to make dog food'.
Another wrote: 'Some uniform or plain clothes work on Somalian rats… I battered one the other day…weighed less than [police officer's name]'.
A police officer sent another officer an image of a Black man wearing a white shirt. His colleague asked, 'What's good about it I don't get it lol.' He replied, 'Ignore the robber…I like the shirt.'
In one Anti-Semitic message, one officer said: 'Opened my balcony door and loads of flies flew into the front room. So I got the fly spray and turned my gaff into Auschwitz.'
The abhorrent language was also used to describe people with disabilities, including calling them 'spastics' and one a 'retard'.
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