London Metropolitan Police fires or suspends over 1,000 officers

Metropolitan Police

LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 officers of the Metropolitan Police (Met) have been dismissed, suspended, or placed on restricted duties amid what the force referred to as "the strongest doubling down on standards in 50 years."

According to the Met, 100 police officers have been dismissed for gross misconduct in the last 12 months.

The Met released an update of its review of the reform of its culture and standards on Tuesday, which was launched after a series of scandals, including the rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in London by a serving officer in 2021.

"This is going to take one, two or more years to root out those who are corrupt," Stuart Cundy, the Met's deputy assistant commissioner, said.

He added that the number of affected officers was "nearly the size of a small police force in other places in the country."

In the next few years, about 60 officers could face dismissal each month due to misconduct or following incompetence hearings, he said.

"We know there is more work to do, but we hope that the progress set out today reassures Londoners that we are doing all we can to deliver an organization you deserve," the Met said on social media.

Last month, the British government said that it will make it easier to sack rogue police officers by measures such as automatic dismissal for those found guilty of gross misconduct.

Earlier this year, an independent review found that fundamental problems, institutional discrimination, and a lack of accountability and transparency have been found in the Met.