Britain | Predators in the police

The toxic culture of the Metropolitan Police Service

The case of David Carrick is the latest in a line-up of horrors

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Police cadets who have completed their training take part in their 'Passing Out Parade' in the grounds of West Ham United Football Club on July 14, 2014 in London, England. 144 Metropolitan Police Service recruits took part in the parade in the presence of Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, and the Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe. The Metropolitan Police have announced that for the first time in its modern history they will recruit exclusively from Londoners to fill the ranks of new police constables. It was the second time the Passing Out Parade had taken place in a public space away from the Metropolitan Police's Hendon Training School. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) — Image: Getty Images

Jan 18th 2023

PREDATORS THRIVE in institutions that smooth access to victims. The Metropolitan Police Service is no exception. David Carrick, who on January 16th (and in an earlier hearing) pleaded guilty to 24 counts of rape and dozens more sexual offences over a 20-year period, used his position as a Met officer to prey on women, showing them his warrant card to win their trust and telling them later they would not be believed. The Met says that on nine separate occasions it and other police forces had been made aware of “off-duty incidents” involving Mr Carrick. Despite a “pattern of behaviour that should have raised concerns”, the force failed to notice it was harbouring one of Britain’s most prolific rapists.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Predators in the police”