Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) welcomes the announcement today that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) are to launch multiple independent investigations into the repeated failures of the Met Police Service (MPS) to take action following serious criminal allegations against serving officer, David Carrick. Carrick eventually pleaded guilty to 49 offences against 12 women, including 24 counts of rape and further counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, sexual assault and false imprisonment. The sentencing judge remarked: “You behaved as if you were untouchable…For nearly two decades you were proved right.”
An MPS internal review had, as recently as November 2022, concluded that no such conduct issues arose.
Debaleena Dasgupta, the solicitor at CWJ acting for six of Carrick’s victims, stated:
“It is disappointing that the Met who claim to have “learnt lessons” from this horrific case, did not themselves identify that there might be misconduct matters arising. It raises questions about the quality and depth of their internal investigation and their purported commitment to ensuring it does not happen again.”
In 2020 CWJ launched a Police Super Complaint looking at Police Perpetrated Domestic Abuse and identified a series of steps that could have been taken to stop Carrick’s offending sooner.
Harriet Wistrich, Director of CWJ, said:
“It is not simply serious criminal conduct by police officers that has been exposed recently, but systemic failings in police disciplinary and misconduct units. CWJ recommended in our super complaint that complaints about police perpetrated domestic abuse need a bespoke reporting mechanism and external investigations of such complaints. Restoring any trust in the police must include trust in the process of police misconduct investigations.”
ENDS