Met chief: we’ve been ‘too permissive’ about police with criminal records

Mark Rowley says he was shocked by officers’ offences and law needs to make it easier to dismiss people from force

The commissioner of the Metropolitan police says his force has “been too permissive” in allowing officers to serve with serious criminal records and that legislation is needed to make it easier to dismiss them.

Commenting in the wake of a review which found 161 officers in his force have criminal convictions, including for sex offences, Sir Mark Rowley, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think we’ve been too permissive. That’s very, very clear.”