Review Labels London Police Racist, Sexists

An independent review on Tuesday revealed that London's Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist and homophobic.

The independent review, which was led by Louise Casey, who sits in Britain's upper house of parliament, found failings across the Met that it said will need radical reform.

The report said; "There is institutional racism, sexism and homophobia, inside the organisation in terms of how officers and staff are treated, and outside the organisation in terms of how communities are policed."

The review comes over two decades after a 1999 inquiry into the murder of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence identified institutional racism within the force over its response to the killing.

Finding that policing by consent was broken in London, the review said the biggest barrier to fixing the force was the Met's culture of defensiveness and denial about the scale of its problems.

Met Commissioner Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior police officer said; "We've let Londoners down and we've let our own frontline down and this report paints that vividly. I'm deeply sorry.

"The report generates a whole series of emotions: anger, frustration, embarrassment. But most of all, it generates resolve."

He added that the force's professional standards department had been stepped up and that the force is sacking officers at a faster rate.