Two-tier policing DOES exist and Sadiq Khan should lose control of the Met, damning report says

A failure to impose itself effectively on protesters has left many Londoners believing “the forces of law and order have lost control of the streets and yielded control to a mob”.

The report, titled A Long Way To Go, accused Scotland Yard of institutional failures and said that removing the Mayor’s office from its role in oversight would help remedy the problems.

It called for the Met Police to be placed back into “special measures” to tackle what it described as a crime epidemic sweeping London.

Commissioner Mark Rowley was found to have presided over a sharp decline in public faith in the force during his three years in office.

The report stated: “With the apparently differential treatment of different groups based on either the cause of the protest or the identity of those protesting, it has become increasingly clear that ‘two-tier policing’ is not merely a perception but a reality.

“This inconsistent application of police powers and the law is perhaps one of the most troubling aspects of modern policing – a factor which has seriously damaged policing’s reputation for fairness in the eyes of many.”

The report cited a United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) demonstration in October as an example of “two-tier” policing.

The protest, held in Tower Hamlets, saw the Met impose “very stringent conditions” due to the area’s large Muslim population.

The report said: “Such a decision may well have been justified on the grounds of preventing serious public disorder.

“However, the willingness of the police to impose such stringent restrictions to safeguard the local Muslim population, while apparently being unwilling to go similarly far on behalf of the Jewish community or the broader public at previous events, indicates a readiness among senior officers to apply different standards to different groups.

“If the rationale for the force’s decision is that they feared public disorder from those resisting the protest, it is tantamount to an admission that ‘mob rule’ has taken priority over the rule of law – an unacceptable state of affairs.

“Too often police choose to prioritise the rights and freedoms of protestors over the rights of ordinary people going about their daily lives.”

Knife crime in the capital has surged by 58 per cent in three years, a recent report revealed.

Meanwhile, 81,279 mobile phone thefts were recorded in London last year.

Shoplifting has also soared, tripling over four years to 93,705 offences in the past 12 months.

The Met now solves just one in 20 robberies and burglaries, one in 13 shoplifting cases, and one in 179 street muggings, according to the report.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Nothing is more important to the Mayor than keeping London safe, and he continues to lead the way by being tough on crime with a record £1.16 billion support package for the police this year alone, and tough on the complex causes of crime through the country’s first Violence Reduction Unit, which is leading an approach rooted in prevention and intervention.”

Met Commander Hayley Sewart said: “Our New Met for London plan is delivering significant improvements on the issues that matter most to our communities, and crime is falling across London.

“Since April, offences like theft, robbery and vehicle crime are down nearly 15 per cent compared to the same period last year, and officers are arresting around 1,000 more criminals every month.

“At the same time, knife-enabled crime has reduced by 16 per cent and knife-enabled robbery by more than 23 per cent in the past year, and homicide in London is also at a 10-year low.

“Despite a £260 million funding gap and amid a shrinking Met, we are protecting neighbourhood policing, response policing and public protection so we can be there where and when the public needs us.”