Police officers in London were not vetted, over a hundred of them are criminals

An internal review by the London Metropolitan Police revealed that between 2013 and 2023, background checks on thousands of officers and employees were significantly neglected. As a result, individuals with criminal records were also allowed to join the service, the Guardian reported.

Among the officers was serial rapist David Carrick, who was convicted in 2023 of 48 rapes and a total of 85 criminal offenses.

The Metropolitan Police admitted that more than 5,000 people were recruited without proper vetting, and they are unable to confirm whether another 17,000 were vetted. The report states that pressure to quickly recruit new recruits led to standard procedures being neglected and key control mechanisms being removed.

Serious misconduct also allowed the recruitment of Cliff Mitchell, who was later convicted of rape, including child victims. In total, the police identified 131 officers who committed various crimes or offenses.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the situation as a failure to maintain security in London and ordered an independent review of recruitment processes.

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