Met Police says two to three officers will face charges every week for months

Two to three criminal cases against officers are expected to go to court every week in the coming months, the Met Police commissioner has revealed.

The criminal cases are a “mix of dishonesty, violence and violence against women and girls”, Sir Mark Rowley said.

He also apologised to the victims of former officer David Carrick and said the public should “prepare for more painful stories as we confront cases that… corrupt our integrity”.

Speaking at a meeting of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, Sir Mark said the force had not “applied the same level of ruthlessness” to upholding its integrity as it applied to fighting crime.

He also said that the Met will “probably find many cases where we got it wrong” in their review of around 1,000 allegations relating to officers and staff historically accused of sexual offences and domestic abuse.

Referring to the “ghastly case” of Carrick, he said: “We’re all equally horrified we have hundreds in policing who shouldn’t be here, Carrick is an awful example of that.”

He offered “sincere apologies to victims for our failings, he should not have been a police officer – that’s obvious”.

Sir Mark also apologised to “women across London who feel let down and whose trust in policing has been let down”.

“We must improve dramatically for London. Lifting the stone and revealing painful truths will not be resolved overnight”.

“It will be painful. We need your support and the support of the people of London… as we rid the organisation of those who corrupt our integrity,” he said.

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In the wake of Carrick’s conviction, around 1,000 previous cases involving Met officers and staff who were accused of sexual offences or domestic violence are being reviewed to make sure they were handled correctly.

Sir Mark said he was “moving heaven and earth” to finish the review by March when its findings will be reported.

Carrick, one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders, admitted 49 criminal charges including 24 counts of rape for crimes committed over an 18-year period.

The charges relate to the rape of nine different women, but some are multiple incident counts, meaning they cover more than 80 sexual offences, including at least 48 rapes.

The commissioner also apologised for the Met’s failings in the case of PC Hussain Chehab, 22, who pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15 as well as three counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

PC Chehab’s case is one of several that have emerged in recent weeks that called the Met’s vetting and complaints processes into question.

Two retired Met officers were charged last week with offences related to the possession of images showing child sex abuse.

The charges were part of an investigation into a serving chief inspector who was found dead before he was charged.