Met Police Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, who leads on Professionalism, has issued a significant statement ahead of David Carrick’s sentencing, which begins on Monday at Southwark Crown Court.
“It’s been nearly three weeks since David Carrick pleaded guilty to the most heinous crimes against women,” Gray said. “Today marks the first day of a two-day sentencing hearing that will reveal the cruel, abusive nature of his actions and their devastating impact on the brave women who testified.”
She offered a heartfelt apology, stating, “We let the victims down by failing to identify a man within the Metropolitan Police who committed such vile crimes. He should never have worn a badge.”
Since Carrick’s guilty plea, Gray confirmed that the Met is committed to addressing deep-rooted failings exposed by internal reviews and inspections. “This work is already underway,” she added. “In the coming weeks, we will share the progress we’ve made and next steps.”
Most importantly, Gray emphasised the focus remains on the victims. “They have shown immense courage and deserve justice and to have their voices heard,” she stressed.
The Met Commissioner has pledged to uphold the high standards expected by Londoners and is actively working to rebuild public trust. Key efforts include:
- Millions invested and tripling of resources in the Directorate of Professional Standards, with new specialist officers and staff dedicated to detecting wrongdoing.
- Formation of a 50-strong Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offending team to investigate officers accused of abuse or sexual crimes.
- Creation of a new Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command targeting officers abusing trust both on and off duty, including online behaviour.
- Major upgrades in intelligence capabilities and specialist training.
- A full audit of police national databases to uncover hidden intelligence on officers and staff misconduct.
- Launch of Project Onyx to review a decade of closed cases involving professional standards complaints, aiming to identify patterns of abuse previously missed.
In addition, the Met has opened an anti-corruption and abuse hotline in partnership with Crimestoppers, allowing the public to anonymously report corrupt officers.
Gray highlighted the importance of external oversight, saying, “We are committed to involving organisations from the Violence Against Women and Girls sector and other stakeholders to scrutinise and contribute to this vital work.”
The message from the Met Police is clear: they are determined to clean house and ensure those who abuse power face justice.
Originally published by UKNIP.
