The Commissioner of the UK’s Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, has strongly criticized a High Court ruling that found against the Met’s Operation Assure, a process designed to remove officers who can no longer pass vetting checks. The ruling, which sided with Sgt Lino Di Maria, prevents the police from dismissing officers who fail vetting reviews, a decision the Commissioner called “profoundly damaging” to policing and public trust.
Rowley, who has repeatedly urged the government to grant police greater powers to remove unfit officers, described the ruling as leaving law enforcement in a “hopeless position.” He emphasized that without a legal mechanism to remove officers who fail vetting, individuals who “cannot be trusted to work with women, or enter the homes of vulnerable people” remain on the force.
Operation Assure and the Legal Challenge
Operation Assure was introduced in March 2023 as part of the Met’s efforts to improve standards and root out corruption. The process follows national policing guidance to review officers’ vetting status, particularly when there is significant adverse information that raises concerns about their suitability to serve.
The judicial review was brought forward by Sgt Di Maria, a Met officer who had faced allegations of rape and other misconduct towards women. His vetting was revoked under Operation Assure, which would have led to his dismissal for gross incompetence. However, his legal challenge, supported by the Police Federation, resulted in the High Court ruling in his favor, effectively blocking his dismissal.
Rowley stressed that 96 officers have been removed under Operation Assure in the last 18 months, with 29 more on special vetting leave and over 100 additional officers under review.
Call for Urgent Government Action
The Met Police is seeking leave to appeal the ruling, emphasizing that the decision has national implications for law enforcement. Rowley also reiterated his call for the government to introduce new regulations, stating that “For more than two decades police leaders have been asking Government for greater powers to sack officers who are not fit to wear the uniform. For two-and-a half-years I have repeated that call and successive Governments have promised change”
Despite the ruling, the Met has vowed to ensure that officers like Di Maria will not return to active duty, keeping them on special vetting leave, which Rowley called “a ridiculous waste of public money but the least bad option until regulations are fixed.”
The ruling has sparked a wider conversation about police accountability, the effectiveness of vetting procedures, and the legal barriers to removing officers with serious allegations against them. With the Casey and Angiolini reports also highlighting deep-rooted issues within police misconduct processes, the pressure is mounting on lawmakers to close loopholes that prevent law enforcement agencies from effectively upholding standards.
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