Met Police vetting scandal

Commenting on recent revelations that the Metropolitan Police wrongly hired over 100 police officers after relaxing vetting standards, Lib Dem Member of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee Gareth Roberts, said 

"Leaders at the Met deliberately abandoned basic safeguards to hit political recruitment targets, allowing dangerous people into the force. This was a conscious choice to prioritize speed over safety which has proven extremely damaging. 

"Stringent police vetting isn't an optional extra, it's a necessity and both the Mayor and the Commissioner must ensure standards are never again compromised for political expediency."

Lib Dem London Spokesperson Luke Taylor MP said:

“This is a staggering dereliction of duty that further undermines trust in our police and has even potentially put members of the public at risk.

“It is a betrayal to victims who have already suffered at the hands of some of these officers and a kick in the teeth for the vast majority of hard-working officers whose reputations are being dragged through the mud by these systemic failures.

“Let's not forget that the previous Conservative Government failed the public by putting targets for the number of officers over public safety and should apologise.

“We cannot continue with business as usual. The Met must urgently review the position of every officer recruited without proper checks and expel any officer that doesn’t meet standards.”