Letter from the Home Secretary to Sir Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, dated 14 June 2023 (accessible)
Updated 15 June 2023
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Sir Mark Rowley
Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis
New Scotland Yard
Victoria Embankment
London
SW1A 2JL
Cc: Mayor of London, Sophie Linden, Chief Constable Stephens, Chief Constable Marsh
14 June 2023
Dear Sir Mark,
Publication of the government response to the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel
Two years ago, the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel was published. The report was damning and found examples of corrupt behaviour throughout the police investigations and that this irreparably damaged the chances of a successful prosecution of Daniel Morgan’s murder.
The Panel made 23 recommendations as a consequence of what it identified in the course of its work. Most of the recommendations were for policing, however there were several for the government to address. I wanted to give you advance notice that tomorrow (15 June) I will publish the government response to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel’s report. I also expect the national policing response from the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing to be published simultaneously.
The government response focuses on four main themes: investigations; tackling corruption; working with inquiries; and information management and the full response is attached for your consideration. The report will be published on GOV.UK and laid in Parliament on 15 June 2023 at Midday. We will share the response with you at this time as per parliamentary guidelines for command papers.
The report outlines the steps that have been taken by government and policing to combat police corruption, including the offence of police corruption, applicable solely to police and National Crime Agency officers, that sits alongside the existing offence of misconduct in public office. Vetting acts as the first line of defence against corruption within police forces. In January this year, I asked the College of Policing to strengthen its statutory vetting code of practice and make clear the standards expected of all chief officers. I also launched a review in January to ensure that the police officer dismissal process is fair and effective at removing those who are not fit to serve the public. We are considering the findings of this review very carefully and expect to make announcements on next steps in the coming weeks.
There were several issues raised by the Panel about how they were unable, at times, to progress their work. HMICFRS and the Independent Office for Police Conduct did not find any deliberate obstruction by the Metropolitan Police, but there was, at least initially, insufficient support from the force for the Panel’s work. We are working across government to ensure that inquiries and panels of a similar type are able to do their job without hindrance, and we will also work with you and policing to make clear their responsibilities in this respect.
Policing as a profession is fully aware of the importance of public scrutiny and that shifting the culture away from defensiveness needs to start from within. In 2020 the Home Office introduced a statutory duty of cooperation for police officers, to ensure that officers participate openly and professionally with investigations, inquiries and other formal proceedings. In addition, I expect the ongoing College of Policing’s review of the Code of Ethics will promote a culture of openness and accountability.
As you will be aware, the previous Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police wrote to the then Home Secretary on 18 March 2022, to outline your force’s work to address the recommendations from the Panel’s report. Whilst I am grateful for the work already undertaken to address the Panel’s recommendations, there is still further work to do to comprehensively address the wider themes highlighted throughout the report. I expect the Metropolitan Police to clearly demonstrate that it will learn from the appalling mistakes of the past and move its culture away from the organisational defensiveness that has hindered progress and so damaged public trust. I will ensure that you have all the support required from central government to deliver on your pledge of more trust, less crime and high standards, and I have every confidence that you will be able to deliver this.
As a consequence of the Panel’s findings, the former Home Secretary also asked His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to investigate the issues raised by the Panel. HMICFRS concluded its inspection and reported on 22 March 2022. Baroness Casey in her recent review of your force stated that inspection reports, including that of March 2022, repeatedly made recommendations that were not acted upon. I recognise that some issues raised by HMICFRS will take longer to address, but this change must come as swiftly as possible. I will be monitoring progress closely. The police are operationally independent, and your force is held to account by the Mayor of London and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, but the police are also accountable to Parliament through me.
We must never forget that at the heart of all of this is a bereaved family, whose agony is compounded by the fact that nobody has been convicted in connection with the dreadful loss of their loved one. We must all work together to ensure this is never repeated.
I have copied this letter to the Mayor of London, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Chief Constable for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and the Chief Executive Officer for the College of Policing. This letter will be published on GOV.UK on 15 June 2023.
Yours sincerely,
[signed]
Rt Hon Suella Braverman KC MP
Home Secretary