Scotland Yard has been pressured to confess it was “unacceptable” for considered one of its official Twitter accounts to apparently criticise the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, main him to accuse the pressure of amplifying deceptive info.
Khan tackled the suggestion – made in a now-deleted tweet by the verified “Met Police Taskforce” – that he didn’t perceive the foundations for disciplining officers.
It got here because the London mayor stated he wouldn’t assist the selection of the house secretary, Priti Patel, to switch the Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, until whoever was chosen understood “the significance of addressing these deep cultural points” throughout the pressure, corresponding to racism, sexism and bullying.
The shock announcement of Dick’s departure has precipitated turmoil within the Met and for political leaders, together with Khan, in whom the Police Federation has declared it has “no confidence”.
Tensions escalated additional on Thursday when the Instances reported that Dick instructed colleagues Khan had given her an ultimatum to sack senior officers in Charing Cross police station or face suspension herself.
Khan insisted throughout a phone-in on LBC:
It’s not the case the commissioner was given an ultimatum to sack them or be sacked.
Nonetheless, he stated he was “angered and disgusted” by the views of some officers at Charing Cross station and “involved concerning the influence on belief and confidence” after it was revealed they exchanged WhatsApp messages about hitting and raping ladies, in addition to the deaths of black infants and the Holocaust.
Khan criticised a tweet by an official Met account which retweeted a publish mentioning that the method for sacking officers is unbiased of chief constables, with the remark: “Precisely this.”
A number of hours after the publish was deleted, a spokesperson for the Met stated the tweet was “unacceptable and shouldn’t have been shared” from an official account.
They stated senior officers have been “addressing the matter” and would remind colleagues “they’re anticipated to be unbiased and neutral always, on and off obligation, together with on social media”.
The mayor advised the intervention was unhelpful, referring to a suggestion by the Impartial Workplace of Police Conduct that discovered widespread proof of bullying and discrimination amongst officers.
Khan stated: “When you might have Met police accounts amplifying info that’s deceptive, how is it potential for officers involved about behaviour of different officers to come back ahead?
“Why are we shocked when whistleblowers don’t come ahead if that is the perspective each the IOPC talked about and also you’ve exemplified in relation to a blue-ticked account?”
With the seek for Dick’s alternative now underneath approach, Khan stated he believed Patel can be “extremely skilled” within the recruitment course of.
Nonetheless, he stated that whereas he hoped to be consulted, he wouldn’t assist Dick’s successor if “I don’t trust that she or he understands the significance of addressing these deep cultural points”.
Right here is the complete story: Met police admit tweet crucial of Sadiq Khan was unacceptable
