Is there effective oversight of cultural change within the Met?
In her independent review of standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Met, Baroness Casey concluded that the Met is institutionally racist, sexist, and homophobic, and required radical transformation to restore public trust and legitimacy.1
A recent BBC Panorama undercover documentary showed Met officers at Charing Cross police station making sexualised comments, displaying misogynistic attitudes, expressing racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views, and engaging in excessive use of force.
The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) is responsible for oversight of the Met, and therefore has a responsibility to oversee the cultural changes necessary following the Casey review.
The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee will meet tomorrow to question guests on the effectiveness of MOPAC’s oversight of cultural change within the Met, following further incidents of racism and sexism within the Met.
The guests are:
Panel one (10:00-approx 11:15)
- David Spencer, Head of Crime and Justice, Policy Exchange
- Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, Chair, National Police Chiefs' Council
- Andy George, President, National Black Police Association
Panel two (approx. 11:20-12:20)
- Mirren Gidda, Chair, Tower Hamlets Community Monitoring Group
- Collet Hunter, Vice-Chair, Lewisham Safer Neighbourhood Board
- Ian Weatherley, Chair, Havering Community Monitoring Group
The meeting will take place on Wednesday 14 January 2026 from 10am in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
Notes to editors
- Baroness Casey Review Final Report, March 2023
- Susan Hall AM, Deputy Chairman of the Police and Crime Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the work of the Police and Crime Committee.
- Read the agenda in full.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more information, please contact Tony Smyth in the Assembly Media Office on 07763 251727 or [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.