Today, Andrew Rosindell MP raised serious concerns in Parliament about the Metropolitan Police, where 1 in 5 officers are currently suspended or on restricted duties.
He urged the Home Secretary to review welfare and disciplinary processes to ensure towns like Romford have more active officers patrolling the streets.
Is the Home Secretary aware that 20% of officers in the Metropolitan police are currently either suspended or on restricted duties, with senior officers warning that the situation is unsustainable? Does she agree that we need urgently to review both welfare and disciplinary processes in our police services so that towns such as Romford can get more police actually patrolling our streets?
Andrew Rosindell M.P., Member of Parliament for Romford
I agree. We need to ensure that resources are targeted in the places where we need them. We have made significant reforms to police standards already, ensuring that officers who fail background checks, for example, are sacked and that gross misconduct leads to dismissal, but we need to ensure that that is right, proper and appropriate and that our police are out on the streets where we need them to be. I am very happy to have a conversation with the hon. Gentleman about how these incidents are being operated; I will be having that conversation with the mayor, and I have already had it with the commissioner.
Sarah Jones M.P., Minister of State for Policing and Crime
