The Metropolitan Police has been plunged into renewed crisis following the explosive revelations of racist, misogynistic, and violent behavior among officers at Charing Cross police station, as exposed by a recent BBC Panorama documentary. The fallout has been swift and dramatic: the Police Federation of England and Wales has announced that those implicated will likely be denied legal funding, a rare and telling move that underscores the severity of the misconduct.
The BBC’s undercover investigation, led by reporter Rory Bibb, spent seven months embedded as a detention officer in the Charing Cross custody suite. What he uncovered was a culture where bigotry and abuse were not only tolerated but brazenly flaunted behind closed doors. Officers were caught on camera making appalling remarks, such as calling for immigrants to be shot or deported, dismissing the trauma of rape victims, and bragging about the excessive use of force. One off-duty officer was recorded saying, “Either put a bullet through his head or deport him. And the ones that s***, rape women, you’d do the cock (with a weapon) and let them bleed out.” Another described an “invasion” of migrants, stating, “Any foreign person is the worst to deal with.” According to BBC, the footage also captured officers making sexual comments about women in custody and expressing open disdain for Muslims.
The revelations have sent shockwaves through the ranks and the wider public. Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Met Police, moved quickly after the broadcast. Within 48 hours, nine officers and one staff member were suspended, and two more were removed from frontline duties. “Officers behaving in such appalling, criminal ways, let down our communities and will cause some to question if their sons and daughters are safe in our cells, and whether they would be believed and respected as victims of crime. For that, I am truly sorry,” Sir Mark said, as reported by The Mirror. He further promised that, “where there is incontrovertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim sentiment or bragging about excessive use of force, they will be put on a fast-track hearing within weeks and on a path to likely dismissal.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched its own inquiry, confirming that 11 current and former officers are under investigation for potential gross misconduct. One constable faces a criminal probe for allegedly perverting the course of justice. The custody team at Charing Cross has been disbanded, and a police sergeant has already been arrested and bailed in connection with the scandal.
Despite the rapid response, critics argue that the issue is far deeper than a handful of bad actors. Neville Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993, was blunt in his assessment: “For many people, including myself, the latest reporting on racism, corruption and misogyny in the Met Police comes as no surprise. This is a sickness that the force was suffering from when Stephen was murdered 32 years ago and we have spent that time highlighting it but still it goes on.” Lawrence continued, “The only way to fix the Met Police is for the leadership to accept its diagnoses and take the medicine. But Mr Rowley will not do that. Even now he is refusing to accept that the Met is institutionally racist. It’s causing resentment in the black community and the community knows that if anything is wrong, or there is a situation involving the police, they can’t call the Met because they’re not going to do anything. This film shows why.”
The scandal has reignited a broader debate about institutional racism and discrimination within the Metropolitan Police. As The Guardian pointed out, this is not the first time Charing Cross has been at the center of such allegations; a similar exposé in 2022 revealed misogyny and racism at the same station. The Casey review, commissioned in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder by a serving Met officer, concluded that the force was “institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic”—a diagnosis Sir Mark Rowley has publicly refused to accept.
The sense of déjà vu is palpable. The Guardian also referenced the case of Derek Ridgewell, a corrupt British Transport Police officer whose actions in the 1970s led to a string of wrongful convictions, only overturned decades later. Family members of Ridgewell’s victims are now calling for automatic legal reviews in cases where police officers are imprisoned, to prevent future miscarriages of justice. Matt Foot, co-director of Appeal, argued that “unless there is full accountability for police discrimination, the behaviour will simply carry on.”
Amidst the outrage, the Police Federation’s decision to deny legal funding to the accused Charing Cross officers stands out. Normally, the Federation provides free legal advice and representation to officers facing prosecution or misconduct charges, spending millions annually to defend its members. But as reported by The Daily Mail, Federation sources say the evidence of wrongdoing is so overwhelming that any claim for legal support will likely be rejected. “What we saw was indefensible. It corrodes the public trust on which policing depends and casts a long shadow over the thousands of decent, professional officers who serve with integrity every day,” said Federation Chair Tiff Lynch. She added, “Restoring policing’s reputation demands that misconduct is rooted out quickly and transparently while ensuring that the due process is followed, which is vital.”
While the officers will lose access to legal funding, the Federation has confirmed they will still receive welfare and pastoral support. This is an unusual step for the association, which has previously courted controversy for backing officers accused of serious offenses—including, earlier this year, funding an officer’s successful legal challenge after his vetting clearance was removed over disputed allegations of rape and domestic abuse. That case prompted the government to rush through legislation allowing police chiefs to dismiss officers who fail background checks after being accused of serious crimes.
Some have questioned the effectiveness of those background checks, given that the BBC’s undercover reporter was able to work at Charing Cross for seven months without detection. “One has to question the effectiveness of such background checks if the Met employed a BBC reporter who then operated underground for seven months in one of its stations,” wrote Harvey Sanders in The Guardian’s letters section.
The Metropolitan Police Federation, for its part, has condemned the discriminatory behavior in the “strongest possible terms.” Chairwoman Paula Dodds stated, “If officers are proven to be guilty of criminal offences or serious gross misconduct, then we do not want these individuals in the job. But all police officers—like all people—have the right to representation and due process, and not trial by media or documentary. Or indeed senior officers or politicians.”
As the investigations unfold, the Met faces a pivotal moment. The challenge is not just to punish individuals, but to reckon with a culture that has allowed discrimination and abuse to persist, sometimes in plain sight. Victims’ groups and police reform advocates are watching closely, hoping that this time, the reckoning will lead to lasting change. The eyes of London—and indeed the nation—are on Charing Cross, waiting to see whether this scandal will finally force the Metropolitan Police to confront its deepest flaws and rebuild the trust so badly shaken by years of controversy.
