The Met revealed that 12 of its officers are awaiting criminal trial for sexual offences. This comes after a damming report finds racial disparity and sexual misconduct within the police force.

One officer is charged with three counts of rape and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity that took place in July. Another constable in Enfield has been charged with more than a dozen offences dating to 2019-2021. The charges included four counts of sexual activity with a minor between age 13 to 15, and distributing indecent images of a child. He was arrested in July and has been currently suspended. Another Met firearm officer, who worked at Downing Street, is facing trial for rape and has been remanded in custody.

These findings come after a report by Baroness Casey of Blackstock into the Met last week that found officers avoiding disciplinary action despite various complaints ranging from sexual violence, distribution of explicit images, and discrimination and professional dishonesty. The report found that a significant proportion of the force indicated that the system was racist, misogynist and unfit for purpose. The report found 1800 serving constables were allowed to continue with their professional duties despite multiple misconduct findings against them.

The report discovered that the threshold of interpretation the Met has set for ‘gross misconduct’ is too wide, and consequently, the number of police officers dismissed for gross misconduct has fallen significantly this year. Notably, there is significant racial disparity throughout the Met’s misconduct system. Asian officers were 55% more likely to have misconduct allegations brought against them compared to white officers, and the figures jump to 81% for black officers.

Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has not disputed the findings of the report, and has responded to Baroness Casey’s report by admitting a need for ‘radically overhauling’ the police force.