Two convicted sex offenders remain on the Metropolitan Police payroll, alongside more than 320 serving officers who possess criminal records, newly obtained data has revealed.
The figures emerged after Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s made a vow to root out problematic personnel.
Around 1,500 officers have been dismissed over the past three years after they were deemed to have “failed to meet standards”.
However, Freedom of Information (FOI) data shows 322 officers held cautions or convictions at the close of last year, representing a one-third increase from the 243 recorded in November 2024.
The force disclosed last Thursday that 131 personnel had engaged in criminal activity or misconduct after gaining employment through flawed vetting and reference procedures.
During the four years from 2018 to 2022, the Met recruited 17,355 officers and staff without securing complete employment references from previous employers.
Additionally, more than 5,000 personnel were brought into the force without undergoing proper vetting procedures.
Scotland Yard acknowledged that an estimated 1,200 current employees should never have been hired, per the Daily Mail.
New data has revealed 320 serving Met Police officers who possess criminal records
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The two sex offenders still serving committed “non-contact” offences during the mid-2000s, a category encompassing voyeurism, exposure, upskirting, drink spiking and stalking.
One officer received their conviction before joining the force, while the other was found guilty after already being hired.
Reacting to the newly revealed information, the Met Police told GB News: “These officers were recruited before the Met introduced the tougher vetting and professional standards regime it uses now. Neither would be offered a job or gain vetting clearance today.
“Under the current Commissioner, the Met has launched an unprecedented drive to improve standards and build trust, with 1,500 officers and staff who failed to meet our standards being removed from the organisation over the last three years,” they added.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has embarked crusade to root out problematic personnel in the force
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PAOfficial figures revealed that 54 officers carry records for violent offences, whilst 80 have been cautioned or convicted for theft or fraud.
A further 25 officers have drug-related offences on their records, with 50 guilty of drink driving, 37 for public order violations and 60 for criminal damage.
Criminal histories span every rank: 268 constables, 43 sergeants, seven inspectors, two chief inspectors and two officers at the superintendent level or above.
Several high-profile cases have brought the Met’s hiring processes into intense public scrutiny.
Serial rapist Cliff Mitchell was hired by the Met after his initial rejection was overturned by a vetting panel aiming to improve diversity
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MET POLICEAmong those who evaded detection was David Carrick, now serving 37 life sentences for attacks on 14 women.
Another was Cliff Mitchell, a serial rapist who had his rejection to join the force overturned by a vetting panel aiming to improve diversity.
He was convicted in May 2024 of 13 counts of rape, including six counts against a child.
A Met spokesman said: “The [force] has launched an unprecedented drive to improve standards and build trust… with officers and staff who failed to meet our standards being removed from the organisation over the past three years.”