Scotland Yard is facing its biggest police corruption inquiry in 40 years, after it was revealed 14 officers working in the Met’s elite anti-corruption unit are under investigation for malpractice.
In a hugely damaging development, the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), has confirmed it is investigating allegations of “serious corruption and malpractice” in Scotland Yard.
The Sun reports that three Metropolitan Police whistleblowers have accused the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) of shielding officers who were accused of assault, racism, child abuse and grooming.
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The Met is Britain’s biggest police force and the DPS, the subject of BBC drama Line of Duty, is supposed to guard against lapses in the force’s ethics, integrity and standards.
IOPC said one of the most senior police chiefs in the country is also under investigation for malpractice for improperly interfering in an investigation into bullying.
Jonathan Green, the IOPC's London director, said: “The investigation includes alleged interference in, and curtailment of, investigations by potentially conflicted senior officers, failure to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, systemic removal of the restrictions of officers under investigation and racial discrimination”.
“As part of this investigation three officers have been served with gross misconduct notices and one of those officers is also under criminal investigation. Assessments on the status of a number of other officers remains ongoing” he added.
News of the investigation was not made public through an announcement by either the IOPC or the Met, but was first reported by The Sunday Times.