London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Met chief Sir Mark Rowley says London’s justice system is “close to broken” and admits black boys face “shameful” disparities in safety and opportunity.
As reported by Sky News, Sir Mark Rowley admitted it’s “shameful” that black boys in London face higher death rates than their white peers.
What did Sir Mark say about policing and race in London?
During an interview on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Met chief discussed strained community ties, justice system stress, and staffing concerns.
Sir Mark, who returned from retirement to lead Britain’s largest police force in 2022, said,
“We can’t pretend otherwise that we’ve got a history between policing and black communities where policing has got a lot wrong. And we get a lot more right today, but we do still make mistakes. That’s not in doubt. I’m being as relentless in that as it can be.”
He stressed that most Metropolitan Police officers are “good people.”
Mr Rowley said,
“But that legacy, combined with the tragedy that some of this crime falls most heavily in black communities, creates a real problem because the legacy creates concern.”
The UK’s top counter-terror officer said Black boys in London are far more likely to die young than their white peers.
He admitted,
“That’s, I think, shameful for the city. The challenge for us is, as we reach in to tackle those issues, that confrontation that comes from that reaching in, whether it’s stop and search on the streets or the sort of operations you seek. The danger is that it’s landing in an environment with less trust,”
adding,
“And that makes it even harder. But the people who win out of that [are] all of the criminals.”
The commissioner said,
“I’m so determined to find a way to get past this because if policing in black communities can find a way to confront these issues, together we can give black boys growing up in London equal life chances to white boys, which is not what we’re seeing at the moment. And it’s not simply about policing, is it?”
Mr Rowley stated,
“I think black boys are several times more likely to be excluded from school, for example, than white boys. And there are multiple issues layered on top of each other that feed into disproportionality.”
He acknowledged the Metropolitan Police is a “stretched service” but promised that 999 callers would still see a prompt response.
The Met chief said,
“If you are in the middle of the crisis and something awful is happening and you dial 999, officers will get there really quickly. I don’t pretend we’re not a stretched service,”
adding,
“We are smaller than I think we ought to be, but I don’t want to give a sort of message of a lack of hope or a lack of determination.”
He added,
“I’ve seen the mayor and the home secretary fighting hard for police resourcing. It’s not what I’d want it to be, but it’s better than it might be without their efforts.”
What did Sir Mark say about the justice system’s failings?
The Met chief warned that the justice system is “close to broken”, calling it “frustrating.”
He said,
“The thing that is frustrating is that the system – and no system can be perfect – but when the system hasn’t managed to turn that person’s life around and get them on the straight and narrow, it just becomes a revolving door. When that happens, of course, that’s frustrating for officers.”
Mr Rowley stated,
“So the more successful prisons and probation can be in terms of getting people onto a law-abiding life from the path they’re on, the better,”
adding,
“But that is a real challenge. I mean, we’re talking just after Sir Brian Leveson put his report out about the close-to-broken criminal justice system.
He added,
“And it’s absolutely vital that those repairs and reforms that he’s talking about happen really quickly, because the system is now so stressed.”
The Met chief pointed to Snaresbrook Crown Court in London, where more than 100 cases are already scheduled for 2029.
Mr Rowley stated,
“If it’s someone on bail … and going in for a criminal court trial that could be four years away … That’s pretty unacceptable, isn’t it?”
Baroness Casey’s report on the Met’s culture
The Met chief’s remark follows a report from two years ago, which labelled the force as institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic.
Baroness Casey was asked in 2021 to review the Met Police after officer Wayne Couzens kidnapped and killed Sarah Everard.
The report held past Met leadership responsible for its failures, citing overuse of stop-and-search and excessive force against Black communities.
When the report was published, Mr Rowley had been commissioner for just six months. He declined to describe the Met as discriminatory, though Baroness Casey maintained such labels were justified.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who appointed Sir Mark Rowley, later said the commissioner accepted Baroness Casey’s findings.
After the report, Sir Mark launched a £366m two-year reform plan. It aims to rebuild trust through more officers and stronger action on abuse and violence.
Key statistics on crime in London
- London’s crime rate: 132.7 per 1,000 people
- Violent crimes: 22.4% of all crime (257,000 cases)
- Shoplifting up: Increased by 38.7% last year
- Top crime councils: Westminster, Camden, Newham, Lambeth