Met Adopts Counter-Terrorism Tactics Against Predators Targeting Women

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley appearing before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, to answer questions about the David Carrick case, at City Hall in east London, on Jan. 25, 2023. (Yui Mok/PA Media)

The Metropolitan Police said it has deployed counter-terrorism tactics to catch the worst predators targeting women in London.

The force said it has started using the Cambridge Crime Harm Index to assess 35,000 offenders reported to the force each year for crimes against women and girls, to rank the 100 who pose the highest risk to the public.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the Met is now “taking the organised crime or terrorism approach to male predatory violence.”

Speaking in an interview on Monday, Mr. Rowley said: “If we go after them proactively, build a case against them, get them off the streets, that protects women and children in London, so that’s an indicator of something more innovative, more front-footed, and how we reform how we police London.”

Neighbourhood Policing

The Met has launched a £366 million two-year scheme dubbed A New Met for London—a plan to overhaul the troubled force and rebuild its reputation after a series of scandals.

Police bosses say there will be an increased emphasis on neighbourhood policing in a bid to rebuild public trust.

Some 240 officers out of the Met’s total workforce of around 34,000 will be moved from central to local teams.

There are also plans to recruit 500 more community support officers and an extra 565 people to work with teams investigating domestic abuse, sexual offences, and child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Each borough will have at least one front counter open 24 hours a day under the proposals.

Mr. Rowley that it was “not acceptable” that some community officers are not within walking distance of their patch.

Mr. Rowley added: “One of the strands of our plan is called ‘fixing foundations’, getting all the basic engineering, in terms of training and equipment for officers right, as a part of that we’re looking again at our estate strategy.

“I’m concerned that some of our officers, particularly our community officers, aren’t within walking distance of their patch, that’s not acceptable, so that’s why we’re looking at that.”

During austerity from 2010 onwards, local borough teams were cut so that between two and four boroughs were covered by one basic command unit.

Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens said: “I think there was a risk in making those choices. We did step away from the local and we recognise the need to have more of a geographical focus.”

Overhauling the Met

The Met has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent years, including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, officer David Carrick being exposed as a serial rapist, and two officers being jailed for sharing pictures of the bodies of two murder victims.

Mr. Rowley, who previously said there were hundreds of officers in the Met who should have been kicked off the force, said bosses are “sacking and suspending more officers than ever before.”

He added: “I’ve got a minority of my people I need to sort out, and we’re doing that as rapidly and as quickly as we can do.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme on Tuesday, Mr. Rowley said: “I’ve been really clear about bearing down on standards. The majority of my officers want that, they’re reporting more cases, and we’re having a big effect.

“It’s the biggest doubling down on standards simply in the Metropolitan Police for 50 years.”

He added: “We’ve got more officers reporting allegations over the last six months than ever before. We’ve got more investigations. We’re removing more officers from the organisation.

“So that’s the doubling-down effect that we’re seeing. It’s going to take some time and I spoke publicly about this. You’re going to see a couple of cases a week appearing in court.”

PA Media contributed to this report.