Reacting to the release of the Baroness Casey Review into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police, Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said:
“The Baroness Casey Review makes for horrific reading, not only in terms of the standards of behaviour it has uncovered within the Metropolitan Police but also for the impact these have on confidence in the police service more widely. Members of all communities will feel significantly let down and angered by the racism, sexism and homophobia the report highlights. So too will the many hardworking officers and staff within policing for whom such behaviour is totally abhorrent.
“While the report raises significant questions about the culture and the leadership of the Met, there are cases of police abuse of authority, corruption and criminality which have emerged in forces all over the country, including examples from Warwickshire. It is therefore not enough to assume that it is only for the Met to fix its problems and that all will be well; every police force needs to look at the findings of this report and ask themselves whether any similar behaviours exist in their workforce. Only by doing so can the public have that full reassurance that misogynistic, homophobic, and racist behaviour is properly being rooted out at the earliest opportunity.
“I am committed to ensuring that the standards of behaviour within Warwickshire Police are at the very highest level and have supported the Chief Constable with increased resources each year to help drive forward change and reform. In return, it is my role to hold the Chief Constable to account and ask searching and sometimes difficult questions on behalf of residents, in order to obtain that reassurance and to help restore trust and confidence.
“That’s why I have already sought further information around the arrangements on police vetting from the Chief Constable and I will now be studying the recommendations of the Casey Review to understand how they may be applicable to us here in Warwickshire. Only by answering the legitimate questions that arise from such a damning assessment of behaviours can policing demonstrate that it really does have officers and staff of the highest calibre and that arrangements to protect the public from those who seek to subvert the system are robust and effective.”
