High-profile cases were affected, including David Carrick, who wasn’t properly vetted in 2017 despite an allegation, and Cliff Mitchell, who joined in 2020 after a prior accusation of raping a child was overturned by a vetting panel.

A decade-long Metropolitan Police vetting review found 5,073 officers and staff were not properly vetted, with thousands missing key checks such as Special Branch and MoD references.

About 1,200 joiners may have faced vetting refusals under normal practices from roughly 27,300 applications, and around 250 would not have been hired had references and checks been fully completed.

corrective actions have begun, emphasizing higher hiring and vetting standards and a commitment to public trust.

The report notes a mix of minor and major deviations, acknowledges difficulty proving causation between vetting failures and specific harms, but asserts the scale increased public risk and damaged trust in the Met.

Deviations were driven by political pressure to meet recruitment targets, resource shortages in vetting, and a culture of overconfidence in scale recruitment.

Home Secretary ordered inspections by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to review vetting in other forces as a precaution.

Consequences included recruitment and retention of unsuitable personnel and erosion of public trust; an inspection of vetting practices was ordered.

A combination of policy deviations, recruitment pressure, and resource constraints increased public risk, though most officers are of exemplary character.

Union chairwoman Paula Dodds criticized the focus on targets over proper vetting, stressing that a minority of officers should not be in the force.

The Met pledges to tighten vetting standards and clean up the workforce, with leadership stressing transparency and ongoing reforms to restore public confidence, while noting that most recruits are law-abiding.

The force has started implementing stricter vetting standards and greater transparency, acknowledging past shortcomings and pursuing ongoing reforms to restore public trust.