Announcing her resignation last night, Dick also acknowledged that the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer last year had “damaged confidence” in the force.
Before Everard’s murder, the man had shared abusive messages with five of his colleagues in the Met and was known as “the rapist” by former colleagues at a different police force.
openDemocracy’s investigation now reveals that abusive messages are a widespread issue among police forces across the UK.
Despite the revelations about abuse by serving Metropolitan Police officers, only 25 allegations over social media misconduct at that force have resulted in any kind of disciplinary action since 2018.
Like many forces, the Met refused to disclose details of the cases, claiming that this would breach rules around “personal data”.
Last night, Dick’s resignation from the Met was met with calls for “serious reform” by opposition politicians.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan – who triggered Dick’s resignation by making clear he had lost confidence in her leadership – said the revelations about officers sending abusive messages had “shattered public trust and confidence” in the force.
“We must urgently rebuild Londoners’ trust in the Met and root out the racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination and misogyny that still exist,” he said. “To do that, change must start from the very top.”
Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “This isn’t just an issue for London – the home secretary must support reforms to raise standards across the country to support the essential work the police do.”
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