On October 2, 2025, the Metropolitan Police found itself at the center of a storm after a BBC Panorama investigation revealed shocking evidence of racism, misogyny, and violent behavior among officers at London’s Charing Cross police station. The fallout has placed the UK’s largest police force under intense scrutiny, with calls for accountability, institutional reform, and even the resignation of its commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.
The Panorama documentary, which aired the night before, was the result of months of secret filming by an undercover reporter. The footage captured serving officers making deeply troubling comments: some called for immigrants to be shot, others boasted about excessive use of force, and several dismissed rape allegations with chilling nonchalance. According to BBC News, the behavior on display was described by Sir Mark Rowley as “completely reprehensible” and “vile to watch.” In his own words, the officers involved were “ghastly, ghastly individuals.”
One officer, PC Phil Neilson, was shown saying, “Either put a bullet through his head or deport him,” referring to an immigrant who had overstayed his visa. He went on to make further racist and violent remarks about migrants, calling Algerians and Somalians “scum.” Another officer, PC Martin Borg, bragged about a colleague stamping on a detainee’s leg and laughed about the suspect’s screams. He also appeared to offer to fill in a false witness statement about the incident. The documentary exposed a toxic culture that had festered for more than three years, with officers openly celebrating brutality and bigotry, as reported by The Guardian.
In immediate response to the revelations, Sir Mark Rowley announced the suspension of several officers and indicated that they were “on a likely path to dismissal.” Nine serving officers, one former officer, and a civilian detention officer are now under investigation for gross misconduct. The allegations range from excessive use of force to making discriminatory and misogynistic comments, and failing to report or challenge inappropriate behavior. One constable is facing a criminal investigation for allegedly perverting the course of justice. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched its own inquiry into the allegations.
Despite the gravity of the findings, Sir Mark Rowley has refused to resign. Speaking to BBC Radio London, he said, “I’m not resigning. We’re partway through a determined effort. I’m proud of what our teams have done in terms of taking on these cancers within the organisation.” He insisted that rumors of his resignation were being spread by “the misogynists and racists, frankly, who want me out, because it’s them who we’re taking on.” Rowley emphasized that the force has expelled nearly 1,500 officers in the last three years as part of a sweeping counter-corruption initiative, and that “Londoners have my word, we won’t stop until it’s finished.”
Rowley’s stance, however, has not silenced criticism. Zoë Garbett, a Green Party member of the London Assembly, called for his immediate resignation, arguing, “The Commissioner is in denial and is still blaming ‘bad apples’ instead of recognising the deep-rooted institutional problems the Met is riddled with. He has no idea how to fix the rot inside the Met and has proven he’s not capable of leading them out of this crisis. He must resign today.” Garbett accused the Commissioner of failing to address institutional racism, misogyny, homophobia, and ableism, saying these issues have not disappeared but have merely “been driven underground.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan echoed concerns about the force’s culture, describing the Metropolitan Police as “institutionally racist,” “institutionally sexist,” and “institutionally homophobic.” Yet, Khan continues to back Sir Mark Rowley, stating he has “full confidence” in the commissioner’s ability to drive change and describing him as “the right person to undertake the change that we need.” However, Khan also questioned why it took investigative journalists to bring these issues to light, saying the revelations “let down” Londoners regardless of the commissioner’s efforts.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer weighed in, calling the Panorama footage “shocking” and urging Rowley to demonstrate a “very robust” response. Starmer said, “I’m glad Sir Mark is responding,” but stressed that the situation demands decisive action. The prime minister’s comments reflect the growing national attention on the Met’s handling of officer misconduct and the broader question of institutional culture within British policing.
Former chief superintendent Parm Sandhu offered a sobering perspective, telling BBC Radio 4 that she was “not surprised at all” by what Panorama had uncovered. Sandhu remarked, “They’ve been exposed before, they’ve been buried before and they’ve been tolerated before, and every single time there’s a promise that the toxic culture will be rooted out, but it comes back every single time.” Her comments highlight a persistent cycle of scandal and reform promises that have failed to restore public trust.
Sir Mark Rowley, for his part, has repeatedly apologized for the conduct exposed by Panorama. “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,” he stated ahead of the documentary’s broadcast. He maintains that the force has made significant progress since the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer—a tragedy that led to the Casey Review and his own appointment as commissioner. Rowley claims the Met is “part way through the biggest counter-corruption initiative policing has ever seen in this country,” and that “the vast majority of men and women are on the streets day in-day out, working desperately hard to protect” Londoners.
Yet, Rowley has stopped short of labeling the Met “institutionally racist and misogynist,” as the Casey Review concluded in 2023. “The thing that’s going to make a difference is not words. The thing that makes a difference is the action,” he told LBC Radio. He highlighted the use of counter-terrorism tactics and specialist intelligence tools to root out corrupt networks, but critics argue that without a frank acknowledgment of institutional failings, real change will remain elusive.
As the IOPC and the Met’s own internal investigations proceed, the debate over leadership, culture, and accountability within the Metropolitan Police is far from settled. For many Londoners, the revelations have deepened mistrust in law enforcement, raising uncomfortable questions about safety, justice, and the true pace of reform in one of the world’s most prominent police forces.
The coming weeks will test whether the Met can move beyond apologies and begin to rebuild the public’s confidence—or whether, as critics warn, the cycle of scandal and denial will continue.
