Seven out of ten cops in UK’s biggest police force failed to make single arrest in one year
SEVEN out of ten cops in Britain’s biggest police force failed to make a single arrest in a whole year, The Sun can reveal.
And just seven per cent of the Met’s 32,493 officers nicked five or more suspects.
The shock figures emerged on the day reported crime was shown to be at its highest level in England and Wales for 20 years.
The Met insisted many officers worked in specialist fields that “don’t necessitate arrests”.
But Centre for Crime Prevention campaign group director David Spencer blasted: “These numbers are truly jaw-dropping and raise serious questions about what exactly most police officers are doing with their time and where the Met’s priorities lie.
“It is time the Met got officers out from behind their desks and into communities where they fulfil their remit of deterring crime and keeping people safe.”
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In response to a request under Freedom of Information laws, the Met revealed 22,753 of its officers — 70.02 per cent — had not made arrests between April 1 2021 and March 31 this year.
They were among a total of 30,265 with less than five collars during the 12 months — 93.1 per cent of Met officers.
The force was put under special measures by inspectors this month for the first time in its history.
It follows a string of controversies, systemic failures and 70,000 offences going unrecorded under former Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, who resigned.
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Her replacement Sir Mark Rowley is due to start in September.
He has indicated his focus will be on beefing up local police resources and having a more visible presence on the streets.
Last night, retired Met detective chief inspector Mick Neville said: “The new commissioner needs to focus his officers on tackling crime and not wokery in any of its forms.”
He added: “In my time, I knew officers who could make five arrests in a few days, not in a year and these would be arrests of burglars, thieves and robbers, which the public want to see.”
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The Met said: “Arrests are predominantly made by emergency response teams who are far fewer in number, which explains why arrests per total officer numbers might appear low.’’
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor commented: “We are ensuring Met officers focus on dealing with offenders and tackling crime.”