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Scotland Yard has been pressured to confess it was “unacceptable” for one in all its official Twitter accounts to apparently criticise the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, main him to accuse the drive of amplifying deceptive data.
Khan tackled the suggestion – made in a now-deleted tweet by the verified “Met Police Taskforce” – that he didn’t perceive the principles for disciplining officers.
It got here because the London mayor stated he wouldn’t assist the selection of the house secretary, Priti Patel, to interchange the Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, until whoever was chosen understood “the significance of addressing these deep cultural points” inside the drive, akin to racism, sexism and bullying.
The shock announcement of Dick’s departure has prompted 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 Occasions 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 isn’t 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 affect on belief and confidence” after it was revealed they exchanged WhatsApp messages about hitting and raping girls, in addition to the deaths of black infants and the Holocaust.
Khan criticised a tweet by an official Met account which retweeted a submit declaring that the method for sacking officers is impartial of chief constables, with the remark: “Precisely this.”
A number of hours after the submit 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 had been “addressing the matter” and would remind colleagues “they’re anticipated to be impartial and neutral always, on and off obligation, together with on social media”.
The mayor instructed the intervention was unhelpful, referring to a suggestion by the Unbiased Workplace of Police Conduct that discovered widespread proof of bullying and discrimination amongst officers.
Khan stated: “When you’ve got Met police accounts amplifying data that’s deceptive, how is it doable for officers involved about behaviour of different officers to return ahead?
“Why are we shocked when whistleblowers don’t come ahead if that is the angle each the IOPC talked about and also you’ve exemplified in relation to a blue-ticked account?”
With the seek for Dick’s substitute now underneath means, 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 believe that she or he understands the significance of addressing these deep cultural points”.
Khan additionally resisted any suggestion he ought to lean on police to encourage the Met to publish photographs of Downing Avenue events, which the Guardian revealed earlier this week the federal government anticipated Scotland Yard wouldn’t launch.
“Simply assume how inappropriate it could be for me, a Labour mayor, getting concerned in operational issues the place a Conservative politician is being investigated,” he stated.
“There are some nations all over the world the place the police do have their arms twisted in relation to operational points. I feel it’s proper in our system the place I’ve bought no affect in relation as to if the police do examine Boris Johnson, what’s revealed and so forth.
“I’ve all the time, because the mayor, been cognisant of the significance of me understanding which facet of the road I ought to be on.”
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