UK watchdog ends special monitoring of London police force

LONDON (Reuters) - London's Metropolitan Police force has improved its performance and no longer needs special monitoring, England's police watchdog said on Thursday, more than two years after a string of failures triggered additional scrutiny.

In June 2022 Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services announced the force would be subject to an enhanced level of monitoring following concerns about its performance.

The force's reputation was at that time damaged by the 2021 abduction, rape and murder of a woman by a Met officer and a long string of revelations of a culture of bullying, racial discrimination and misogyny.

On Thursday, the watchdog highlighted improvement in a number of areas including crime involving exploited children, the identification of victim-blaming language and overall professional standards.

"I am pleased with the good progress that the Metropolitan Police Service has made so far," His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Lee Freeman said in a statement.

"Whilst there is still a significant amount of work to do, I have recommended removing the service from our enhanced level of monitoring, known as Engage, and return it to routine monitoring."

(Reporting by William James, Editing by Paul Sandle)

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