Police misconduct hearings in the Metropolitan Police: What can they tell us?

• In Event: POLWG Panel 8. Police Misconduct, Whistleblowing and the Code of Silence

Abstract

Given the currently heightened concerns about institutional racism, sexism, misogyny and homophobia in the Metropolitan Police in London, this suggests there are likely to be regular breaches of professional standards relating to discriminatory misconduct. When such professional standards are breached, misconduct hearings offer a route for redress. In this paper, I consider the question of what police misconduct hearings can tell us. I examine broad patterns in the nature of misconduct and the nuances to this, as well some of the drivers of these problematic forms of behaviour. I will also examine the extent to which misconduct hearings provide an appropriate response to discriminatory forms of misconduct and what can be done to improve them. To examine these issues, I draw on exploratory research involving observation of misconduct hearings relating to discriminatory malpractice in the Metropolitan Police between July 2023 and February 2024, content analysis of written misconduct hearing outcomes and press reports at the time of the hearings. A key conclusion is that misconduct hearings offer an overly individually-focused response to problems that are culturally and organisationally driven.

Author

• Layla Skinns, University of Sheffield