Met Police Assistant Commissioner Breaks Silence on David Carrick Sentencing
Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, the Met’s Professionalism lead, has issued a powerful statement ahead of David Carrick’s sentencing, starting Monday at Southwark Crown Court.
“It’s been nearly three weeks since David Carrick pleaded guilty to the most heinous crimes against women,” Gray said. “Today marks the first day of a two-day sentencing hearing that will reveal the cruel, abusive nature of his actions and their devastating impact on the brave women who testified.”
She offered a heartfelt apology: “We let the victims down by failing to identify a man within the Metropolitan Police who committed such vile crimes. He should never have worn a badge.”
Met Vows to Root Out Corruption and Abusers Within
Since Carrick’s guilty plea, Gray says the Met is committed to tackling deep-rooted failings exposed by internal reviews and inspections. “This work is already underway,” she added. “In the coming weeks, we will share the progress we’ve made and next steps.”
Most importantly, the focus remains on the victims. “They have shown immense courage and deserve justice and to have their voices heard,” Gray stressed.
Massive Overhaul to Restore Public Trust
The Met Commissioner has pledged to deliver the high standards Londoners expect. Efforts to rebuild trust are in full swing:
- Millions invested and the Directorate of Professional Standards’ resources tripled, with new specialist officers and staff to detect wrongdoing.
- A 50-strong Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offending team formed to investigate officers accused of abuse or sexual crimes.
- Creation of a new Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command targeting officers abusing trust both on and off duty, including online behaviour.
- Major upgrades in intelligence capabilities and specialist training.
- A full audit of police national databases to uncover hidden intelligence on officers and staff misconduct.
- Project Onyx launched to review a decade of closed cases involving professional standards complaints, aiming to spot patterns of abuse previously missed.
Hotlines and External Partnerships to Fight Abuse
The Met has also opened an anti-corruption and abuse hotline in partnership with Crimestoppers, allowing the public to anonymously report corrupt officers.
Gray stressed the importance of external oversight: “We are committed to involving organisations from the Violence Against Women and Girls sector and other stakeholders to scrutinise and contribute to this vital work.”
The message is clear: the Met Police is determined to clean house and ensure those who abuse power face justice.
