Met Police: counter-terrorism tactics being used against London’s worst male predators targeting women

The Met Police is deploying counter-terrorism tactics to catch the worst men targeting women on the streets of London.

Officers have started using the Cambridge Crime Harm Index, which is typically employed against terrorists, to assess 35,000 men who are reported to the force each year for crimes against women and girls. The Met will gather data on those recently convicted of offences such as rape, domestic abuse, and sexual harassment - and then use this information to rank the 100 predators who pose the highest danger to the public.

Commenting on the new tactic on Monday (17 July), Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “It’s taking the organised crime or terrorism approach to male predatory violence. If we go after them proactively, build a case against them, get them off the streets - that protects women and children in London... so that’s an indicator of something more innovative, more front-footed, and how we reform how we police London.”

The use of the Cambridge Crime Harm Index, which measures the level of harm a crime causes to victims, comes as the Met Police tries to rebuild its reputation and restore public trust following a series of scandals and the damning Casey Review. In the report published in March, Baroness Louise Casey concluded that the force was “institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic.”

Now, plans to overhaul the force - in a two-year, £366 million scheme dubbed A New Met for London - are being launched with visits to every borough in the capital.

Under the changes, 565 more people will be recruited to work with teams investigating domestic abuse, sexual offences, and the abuse and exploitation of children. Each borough will also have at least one counter open for 24 hours a day, and there will be an increased emphasis on neighbourhood policing - with some 240 officers out of the Met’s total workforce of around 34,000 being moved from central to local teams.

This is a reversal to what happened during the austerity era from 2010, when teams were cut so that between two and four boroughs were covered by one basic command unit. Commenting on the impacts of this, Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens said: “I think there was a risk in making those choices. We did step away from the local and we recognise the need to have more of a geographical focus.”

Meanwhile, asked in an interview if people would see more officers on the streets and more police stations opening, Commissioner Rowley replied: “All of those things”. He added that it was “not acceptable” that some community officers are not within walking distance of their patch.

“One of the strands of our plan is called ‘fixing foundations’,” the police chief continued. “Getting all the basic engineering in terms of training and equipment for officers right, as a part of that we’re looking again at our estate strategy. I’m concerned that some of our officers, particularly our community officers, aren’t within walking distance of their patch, that’s not acceptable, so that’s why we’re looking at that.

“It all comes back to that cornerstone, the community policing team, dedicated ward officers, the police community support officers – we’re increasing them by 500 this year – that team, the relationship with local community, knowing what the big issues are, fixing them, and calling in the specialists behind them when they need them.”

The Met Police was been the subject of fierce scrutiny over the past few years, particularly following the horrifying rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard at the hands of Wayne Couzens, a serving officer. In another case which shocked the nation, PC David Carrick was exposed as a serial rapist - and in the years between and since numerous police officers have been convicted of offences such as rape, stalking, and domestic abuse.

Commissioner Rowley, who previously said there were hundreds of officers in the Met who should have been kicked off the force, assured the public that bosses are “sacking and suspending more officers than ever before”. He added: “I’ve got a minority of my people I need to sort out, and we’re doing that as rapidly and as quickly as we can do.”

Meanwhile, on the Met’s overhaul plans, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Londoners will rightly judge this plan on actions not words, and I will be unflinching in holding the Met and the Commissioner to account and supporting him to deliver.”

London’s Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman added: “A New Met for London clearly sets out how the Met plans to turn around the force and deliver for Londoners, but there is no time to lose, as they need to quickly and effectively improve their support to the thousands of victims they interact with on a daily basis.”