Policing minister attacks Sadiq Khan over Met – but most forces in special measures have Tory commissioners

Britain’s policing minister has claimed that Sadiq Khan should “share responsibility” for the Metropolitan Police’s slide into special measures.

Kit Malthouse suggested that, as police and crime commissioner (PCC) for the force, the mayor of London should “consider his position”.

But four of the six police forces currently in special measures have Conservative PCCs.

The elected role was created by the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government to replace policing boards previously tasked with controlling regional forces’ finances and holding them to account.

Of the record six forces currently in a process akin to special measures instigated by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), four are headed by Tory PCCs.

Staffordshire Police and Wiltshire Police have had Conservative PCCs since the post was created a decade ago, while Cleveland and Gloucestershire have had Tory incumbents since last year’s elections.

The Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police have Labour politicians in the post, as it is rolled into the responsiblities of elected mayors.

Mr Malthouse said PCCs were “designed to provide a focus point of accountability for the electorate”, adding: “If I had been in that job I would consider my position.”

He accused Mr Khan of “falling asleep at the wheel” and said he had to “get a grip”.

“We expect him to provide an urgent update explaining how he plans to fix this as soon as possible,” the policing minister added.

“Now is not the time for the mayor to distance himself from the Met, he must lean in and share responsibility for a failure of governance and the work needed to put it right.”

Ministers have not made the same call in parliament to the PCCs of the other forces in special measures.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr Khan accused ministers of “deflecting their responsibility after 12 years of massive cuts” to policing.

“We've lost 21,000 experienced officers around the country, many of them in London,” he added. “Because of City Hall funding we've managed to replace many of them but clearly, with newer, inexperienced officers.”

A dispute about necessary changes sparked the resignation of Dame Cressida Dick in February, which saw Mr Khan criticised by Conservative MPs as Priti Patel triggered an inquiry into the circumstances of her decision.

Shadow home office minister Sarah Jones said Mr Malthouse shared a version of his statement with the opposition that did not include his “political attacks” on the London mayor.

The deputy speaker of the House of Commons, Dame Eleanor Laing, said the move was “unusual” and she had also been handed an incomplete statement by the policing minister.

“It is expected that the opposition should have the statement that is actually being given,” she added.

Mr Malthouse said he made last-minute amendments because he felt “strongly about the issue” as London’s former deputy mayor for crime, who served under Boris Johnson.

“The whole idea [of PCCs] is that they should be the voice of those people that elect us and share accountability with the force that they govern,” he added.

HMIC confirmed that Scotland Yard had been put in its “engage” monitoring process, which is used where a force is not responding to concerns or succeeding in managing, mitigating or eradicating them.

It will be ordered to develop an “improvement plan” to address the issues identified by the inspectorate and a “policing performance oversight group” will then consider the progress made.

The Metropolitan Police will not be released from the process until HMIC is satisfied that sufficient and sustained improvement has been made.

Mr Malthouse said a letter from the inspectorate to acting commissioner Sir Stephen House made “sorry reading”.

It listed a wealth of issues including public confidence after the murder of Sarah Everard, offensive messages between officers, a report’s finding of institutional corruption, missing targets over the handling of emergency calls, failures to assess vulnerability, crimes not being recorded, the treatment of victims, a backlog of online child sex abuse referrals, insufficient capacity in some areas and inadequate supervision of officers.

HM inspector of constabulary Matt Parr wrote that HMIC has had “substantial and persistent concerns” about the force “for a considerable time”.

His letter said “systemic failures” relating to corruption and officer training had been exacerbated by an influx of young and inexperienced recruits brought in as part of the government drive to replace 20,000 officers cut during austerity measures.

Several MPs questioned whether the government was going to review the scale of the Metropolitan Police’s responsibilities, which include international issues beyond the day-to-day policing of Britain’s largest city.

Mr Malthouse said that when the public inquiry sparked by the murder of Sarah Everard is complete and any urgent work is undertaken, the government will “consider what further measures need to be taken”.

He would not confirm reports that the final two candidates in the running to succeed Dame Cressida Dick as commissioner are Sir Mark Rowley and Nick Ephgrave, or respond to concerns that long-serving members of the Metropolitan Police cannot reform its systematic failings.

Priti Patel said on Tuesday the process of recruiting a new commissioner was “well underway” and that the successful candidate must demonstrate improvements and regain public trust.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “We recognise the cumulative impact of events and problems that the Met is dealing with.

“We understand the impact this has had on communities and we share their disappointment.“We are determined to be a police service Londoners can be proud of. We are talking to the Inspectorate about next steps.”

Staffordshire Police said it had already developed plans to address the concerns that caused it to be put in special measures, including managing public contact and effective investigations, and has launched a new policing model.

Wiltshire Police said it was fully engaging with the “engage” monitoring process and work to improve.