UK’s Top Police Force No Longer Trusted by the General Public

The police are in “denial” about the problems they face and have institutional roadblocks to improvement including “hubris” — believing only they really understand what it takes to police London, and therefore refusing to take external criticism or help — and “optimism” manifesting itself as glossing over issues. Protecting the reputation of the force is seen as more important than actually having a good police force, Casey says.

As well as these failures, the report also zeroes in on accusations of systematic racism, sexism, and homophobia. The fact that black officers are considerably more likely to face disciplinary procedures than white officers, and that black Londoners are more likely to have an interaction with the police than white, are both identified as evidence of racism within the force.

Nevertheless, while black Londoners are more likely to have a negative view of the force than their white neighbours, the report found this trust gap was rapidly closing as trust in the police to do a good job was falling among white Londoners.

Overall, the report reckons that overall confidence in the force has now dropped below the 50 per cent mark, with it ultimately expressing doubt as to whether the Met can still operate a model of “policing by consent”.

The report said: “The model of policing by consent, pioneered in London and admired and copied around the world, requires the Met to both earn and maintain public trust in everything it does. However, there is declining public confidence and trust in the institution.”