London’s Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has pledged sweeping cultural reform after a new independent report found entrenched systemic racism within Britain’s largest police force.
The report, titled “30 Patterns of Harm” and released on Friday, was authored by human resources expert Shereen Daniels, who was commissioned by the Met to investigate how race influences the force’s internal and public dealings.
Daniels concluded that the Met’s systems, leadership, and culture perpetuate racial harm while shielding the organisation from meaningful reform.
“Systemic racism is not a matter of perception,” Daniels wrote. “For almost 50 years, reviews of the Metropolitan Police have documented the harm experienced by Black Londoners, officers and staff.”
The report highlighted persistent “anti-Blackness” as the most visible symptom of dysfunction within the force, citing biases against people with darker skin tones or certain accents.
Daniels warned that these same systems also enable other forms of harm, including misogyny and discrimination.
Since the 1980s, multiple investigations have exposed deep-rooted racial issues within the Met. A 2023 review concluded the force was “institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.”
Rowley, who became commissioner in 2022, has since promised to cleanse the Met of corrupt and abusive officers following several scandals, including cases where serving officers were convicted of murder and rape.
In recent weeks, five officers were dismissed after a BBC documentary secretly recorded racist and misogynistic comments made by colleagues.
Responding to the latest report, Rowley said it underscored the urgent need for “systemic, structural, and cultural change.”
“Dr. Daniels’ report is powerful,” he said. “This cultural change will require relentless effort and innovation. We are delivering the largest corruption clear-out in British policing history to remove those who do not belong.”
Unlike past inquiries, Daniels chose not to make formal recommendations, saying her aim was to expose how systemic racism continues despite decades of reviews.
“The truth is, it didn’t matter how many reports came before, the harm continued,” she wrote.
The Metropolitan Police now faces renewed pressure to demonstrate that this time, change will follow words.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
