Metropolitan police’s anti-corruption unit faces investigation

Scotland Yard’s anti-corruption unit is facing an investigation after claims of “serious corruption and malpractice” within its ranks.

The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said the claims related to the Met’s directorate of professional standards. Interfering in investigations, racism and turning a blind eye to wrongdoing are all among the allegations against the force.

The IOPC said one officer was under criminal investigation and three had been formally notified they were under disciplinary investigation for gross misconduct.

The Met is Britain’s biggest police force and the DPS is supposed to guard against lapses in the force’s ethics, integrity and standards.

Jonathan Green, of the IOPC, said: “I can confirm we have begun an investigation into allegations of serious corruption and malpractice within the Directorate of Professional Standards of the Metropolitan police.

“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.”

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. It said the IOPC inquiry was codenamed Operation Embley and the claims it was examining included that the DPS shielded police officers facing child abuse allegations, and claims of fraud and physical assault.

The Met said no officers had been suspended or placed under restricted duties. It said it had referred the claims to the police watchdog.

In a statement, the Met said: “We can confirm the Metropolitan police service has referred allegations regarding the conduct of a number of MPS personnel to the IOPC which is conducting an independent investigation. The MPS is fully cooperating with the IOPC investigation.”