A report that claimed racism was ‘baked into institutional design’ at the Metropolitan Police was never released by the force and has now been uncovered by the Guardian.
Between May and June 2025 HR Rewired was commissioned to conduct a review of anti-Black racism within the force, but its findings were never published. The report reveals an endemic culture of racial bias and stereotyping that does not offer equal opportunities to black employees. It also found that staff were gaslit or penalised for speaking out about racism because of ‘reputational risk.’
This comes hot on the heels of an excoriating documentary by the BBC which secretly filmed Met Police officers making racist and sexist comments. The Met has since suspended several officers. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the officers’ behaviour was ‘disgraceful, totally unacceptable and contrary to the values and standards’ of the force.
This report is not the first to link the force’s internal culture to officer misconduct. The Casey review in 2023, which followed the violent murder of Sarah Everard by police constable Wayne Couzens, highlighted institutional racism and misogyny.
Rewired’s report was meant to follow up those findings, but after the document was seen by senior leadership it was buried, a source told Guardian.
Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said: ‘The Met is continually trying to suppress anything that doesn’t fit in with the commissioner’s narrative that things are improving’.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: ‘We want the Met to be an actively anti-racist organisation and this work builds on our drive to remove unsuitable officers and staff.’
In the midst of the furore Mark Rowley has rejected calls for his resignation. He said: ‘It’s the misogynists and racists frankly who want me out.’
But the report shows that the ‘bad apples’ mentality is misleading. Shereen Daniels from HR Rewired said: ‘This isn’t a story of a few ‘racist’ officers. Irrespective of well-intentioned yet ill-informed activity, it’s about an institution whose structures keep reproducing the same outcomes.’
