The Prime Minister has described the behaviour of Metropolitan Police officers who were secretly filmed making racist and sexist comments as “shocking”.
The footage, gathered undercover for a BBC Panorama documentary, appeared to show some officers at a central London police station call for immigrants to be shot and brag about using violence against suspects.
Reacting to the documentary, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I’ve not yet seen the footage, but I’ve had it described to me, and it’s shocking, and I’m glad the commissioner is responding.
“He needs to be very robust in his response.”
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said people in London can trust the “vast majority” of the force’s officers, adding that he was “horrified” by the documentary.
He told LBC on Thursday: “We completely get that you’re going to be upset and angry when you watch this, and it’s going to cause you to question your trust in the Metropolitan Police.
“You can be rest assured that we are relentless in rooting out these characters.
“You can trust the vast majority of great men and women who are out there to protect you and serve.
“It’s those men and women who are building more trust and more confidence from the people of London, and we will continue doing that because we’re all equally passionate about our vocation, and we’re all as horrified as you are as a member of the public by what we saw last night.”
