POLICE FEAR
I’m frightened for women in London, Susanna says after cop told Met Police report ‘you may as well say rape is legal’
GOOD Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid has told how she feels “frightened” after a horrifying report revealed that the Met Police is in need of radical reform.
Britain’s biggest force was labelled institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic in the damning report was compiled by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock.
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She spent more than a year shining a light into what she called the “dark corners” of the Met and its culture and standards following the murder of Sarah Everard by firearms officer Wayne Couzens.
And this morning presenter Susanna Reid lashed out at Sir Mark Rowley, the man in charge of the force.
She said: “There is another issue that the victims of rape and domestic violence are made to feel like an inconvience and partly because officers are over worked and don't have experience.
“In the report one officer said: 'If you look at our performance on rape and serious sexual offences the detection rate is so low you may as well say "it's legal in London".'
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“Honestly as I read that I actually feel frightened.
“Because that sort of message going out is not a helpful one to women in London.”
Sir Rowley said he agreed with Susanna’s analysis ading: “Certainly we want victims to come forward.”
It comes after Baroness Casey admitted she could not “sufficiently assure” people there were not more predators in the Met like Couzens, and Carrick, who was named as a rapist and abuser on nine occasions.
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Her report said the Met’s misconduct system was “not fit for purpose”, adding it was incapable of running its own disciplinary cases.
Baroness Casey expressed disappointment that, 25 years after the Macpherson Inquiry report labelled the Met institutionally racist, not enough change had resulted.
She also called for the disbandment of the armed protection unit on which Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick both worked.
She said the London force’s firearms command was a boys’ club riven by bulling and sexism.
The report also concluded that the London force was failing women and children, with frontline policing and public protection suffering amid a chronic shortage of resources.
Inexperienced officers were overburdened by large caseloads and the de-prioritisation of public protection “has put women and children at greater risk than necessary”.
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