While there are tens of thousands of men and women at the Met, the majority of whom are hard-working, honest and dedicated public servants upholding the highest levels of integrity, the new Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has spoken about the fact that there are hundreds who need to be rooted out for corrupting the organisation’s integrity.

As part of the Met’s work to rebuild trust and confidence with Londoners, the Met is leading the way for policing nationally in instigating re-vetting procedures where concerns are raised, following recommendations from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and College of Policing (CoP).

Operation Assure will involve a review of an individual’s vetting status where officers or staff behaviour is identified as being of concern. It is focused on cases where an individual’s conduct represents a breach of public trust.

The trigger for this process could come from various circumstances, including: following the conclusion of a criminal investigation, following a misconduct hearing where a written warning, final written warning or a reduction in rank has been issued, or when adverse information about an individual comes to the notice of the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS).

Commander James Harman of DPS said: “The Commissioner has been clear that there are many officers who should not be part of this organisation. They have lost his confidence and the public would rightly expect there to be a process which would allow us to review their continued employment.

“When a member of the public asks a police officer for help, they should be confident that the Met has vetted that person to an appropriate level, and kept that vetting under review. We should all recognise that vetting is not an administrative exercise – it is an expression of public trust, and the Met’s Referencing and Vetting Unit works hard on a daily basis to perform this critical function for London.

“We are determined to show the public our seriousness about rooting out corruption and abuse. We will take decisive action where new information leads us to conclude that clearance may no longer be appropriate – and we are pleased to be in the forefront of implementing these important recommendations.”

Once a review is triggered, it will be carried out by a senior vetting officer, and could lead to a maintaining of vetting status, or a decision to revoke the individual’s minimum vetting status. If revoked, the individual will be unable to access police premises and systems, which can then trigger a process under the performance regulations which could lead to dismissal.

Any subsequent appeals on vetting reviews will be carried out by a commander and the Met’s force vetting manager.

The new initiative has been carefully developed by DPS in close co-operation with units across the Met, including Referencing & Vetting, Legal Services and Human Resources, and with external legal advice. Unions and staff support associations have also been consulted during its development.

Police forces nationally will also be adopting the same or similar processes.