Metropolitan police officers on paid leave could cost 'tens of millions'
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said that the bill for keeping rogue officers on paid leave, because the force does not have the power to sack them, could run into tens of millions of pounds a year.It comes after a High Court ruling that the Met cannot fire officers who have had their vetting clearance removed - a background check used to identify unsuitable individuals.Sir Mark Rowley told the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee that the force was preparing an appeal.The Met began reviewing allegations against officers and staff following public outrage over the cases, such as Wayne Couzens, a serving officer who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.
Sir Mark said that urgent work was needed by the government to change regulations so he could get rid of rogue officers.There are currently 29 officers who have had their vetting removed who remain on paid leave and 96 who have been sacked or resigned."The current people who are on paid leave at home, I think the bill for them will run to about £7m a year, but if the regulations aren't fixed, as we put more people into the process, that number will tick up and up and up," he warned.He described the situation as frustrating but added, "You want to keep them off the street and away from colleagues."Sir Mark said he had been lobbying for action from the Home Office but that officials needed to "listen and roll their sleeves up"."I don't apologise for stepping into a legally uncertain and untested space, the most important thing is the integrity of the police," he said.
'Tough choices'
A Home Office spokesperson has said it was "acting rapidly" to ensure police forces could "dismiss officers who cannot maintain vetting clearance".Sir Mark also told the Police and Crime Committee that the Met was still facing "very significant" cuts to frontline services, but that they would not be on the scale he had previously feared, thanks to more government funding.Last year, he warned the force was facing a £450m funding shortfall, which he said could have an "eyewatering" impact, and the potential loss of 2,300 officers and 400 staff checks.In December, policing minister Diana Johnson announced that the Met would receive an extra £65m through the National and International Capital City grant, partly to cover the costs of policing protests in the capital.The commissioner told the committee that this meant that the force was now £45m better off than it had anticipated, but warned that "a large part of the tough choices will still have to be executed", including losing officers and staff.He repeated assurances that areas such as neighbourhood policing and public protection teams, which target violence against women and children, would be protected, but said he could not give any more detail on where other cuts would fall.The Met has previously warned that it may need to reduce the size of the Flying Squad, which tackles serious and organised crime; the dogs unit and mounted branch; and Royal Parks policing.The mayor's draft budget proposes raising average council tax bills by almost £19 a year to help pay for London's police and fire services, which is expected to raise an additional £54m in the police budget for 2025-26.Sir Mark said that the Met was "part way through the budget process" and it would take a bit longer to get clarity.
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