Casey review (MPS)
The Casey Review (2023) provided a definitive judgment that the Metropolitan Police is institutionally discriminatory and fundamentally broken, triggering a massive national clear-out of unfit officers and a return to chief-led disciplinary powers.
The Baroness Casey Review (2023) is widely considered the most significant and damning investigation into the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) since the 1999 Macpherson Report.
Commissioned following the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, the year-long investigation led by Baroness Louise Casey concluded that the Met was "institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic."
1. The Core Findings
Baroness Casey’s report described a "culture of denial" and identified several systemic failures:
Institutional Discrimination: The report used the "institutional" label to state that racism, sexism, and homophobia were not just the result of a few "bad apples" but were "baked into the system."3
Broken Misconduct System: It found that the disciplinary process was slow, biased, and ineffective. Black officers were 81% more likely to face misconduct allegations than white colleagues, while many serious allegations against officers—particularly regarding sexual misconduct—resulted in no action.
Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG): Casey found that the Met had "deprioritised" the protection of women. In one famous example, she noted that while a murder would get a whole team of detectives, a woman raped and left in a coma might be assigned to a single, overstretched trainee detective.
Frontline Neglect: The report highlighted that the "bedrock" of policing—local neighbourhood teams—had been hollowed out and "degraded" after years of austerity, leaving Londoners "put last."
2. Key Recommendations
The review made 16 primary recommendations, emphasizing that if the Met did not show significant progress, it should be considered for "structural breakup" (e.g., splitting it into separate local and national forces).
A New Policing Board: To oversee reform and provide public accountability.
Total Misconduct Overhaul: Speeding up the removal of "rogue" officers and ending the use of "reflective practice" for serious behavioral issues.
Protection Services: Establishing a dedicated service to protect women and children.
Vetting Reform: Ensuring the recruitment process effectively filters out those with predatory or discriminatory traits.
3. Current Status and Legacy (2025/2026)
As of early 2026, the Casey Review remains the primary driver of police reform in London and across the UK.
Action Area | Progress Update (as of Dec 2025) |
"The Great Clear Out" | Under Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, the Met has removed approximately 1,500 officers in the biggest anti-corruption clear-out in its history. |
New Oversight | The London Policing Board, chaired by the Mayor, is now fully operational, providing monthly public scrutiny of Met reforms. |
Vetting | The Met now has one of the strictest entry vetting policies in the UK; refusal rates for new recruits have more than doubled since 2021. |
Independent Progress Review |
Comparison map of reviews
Year | Review / Report | Focus | Key Outcome |
2004 | Morris Inquiry | Fairness: Focused on the Met's internal racial bias and disproportionality. | Cultural awareness and "Fairness at Work" policies. |
2005 | Taylor Review | Efficiency: Moving police discipline toward modern HR/ACAS standards. | 2008 Regulations: Introduced "Misconduct" vs "Gross Misconduct." |
2014 | Chapman Review | Transparency: Moving discipline from private internal hearings to public view. | 2017 Act: Introduced Public Hearings & Legally Qualified Chairs (LQCs). |
2023 | Casey Review | Institutional Culture: Damning verdict of institutional racism, sexism, and homophobia. | 2024 Roll-back: Power returned to Chiefs; "Presumption of Dismissal" for serious cases. |
Key numbers at a glance
16
Recommendations
13
Months to complete
Cost in millions (if known)
0
Deaths (direct)
Recommendations
Baroness Casey’s final report made 16 primary recommendations (further broken down into dozens of sub-recommendations) designed to force a "fundamental reset" of the Metropolitan Police.
The 16 Strategic Recommendations
A Fundamental Reset: The Met must formally accept the findings of institutional racism, misogyny, and homophobia and commit to a complete overhaul.
A New Policing Board: Creation of an independent, high-level board to oversee the Met and hold the Commissioner to account publicly.
Governance & Accountability: Fixing the "confused" relationship between the Home Office, the Mayor’s Office (MOPAC), and the Met.
A New Strategy for London: Moving away from national/specialist policing and refocusing on the "bedrock" of neighbourhood policing.
A Permanent Anti-Corruption & Abuse Hub: A dedicated unit to proactively "root out" predatory and biased officers.
Fixing the Misconduct System: Ending the use of "Reflective Practice" (learning) for serious misconduct and making it easier to sack officers.
Vetting Reform: Implementing much tougher vetting and re-vetting throughout an officer's career.
Protecting Women and Girls: A new "Vulnerability Service" to elevate the priority of domestic abuse and sexual violence cases.
Children and Young People: Changing how the police interact with children, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Stop and Search: Overhauling the use of these powers to reduce racial disproportionality and improve community consent.
The "Frontline First" Approach: Reallocating resources so that local borough policing is the most prestigious and well-funded part of the force.
Professionalism & Training: Redesigning recruit training to focus on ethics and diversity from Day 1.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI): Moving away from "tick-box" diversity and making fairness a core operational value.
Transparency of Data: Making the Met’s performance and misconduct data available to the public in an easily accessible format.
Institutional Reform of the Home Office: Ensuring the Home Office provides better national standards for vetting and conduct.
The "Breakup" Clause: If the Met fails to show significant progress within two years (by 2025/2026), the government should consider splitting the force into separate pieces.
Podcasts by Inquests and Inquiries
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Links to other resources
The Primary Report
Baroness Casey Review: Final Report (Official PDF) The complete 363-page document. It includes the executive summary, the findings on institutional discrimination, and the 16 primary recommendations.
Metropolitan Police: Casey Review Landing Page The Met’s official portal for the review, containing their formal response and the "A New Met for London" plan.
Legislative and Policy Responses
A New Met for London Plan (2023-2025) The strategic document detailing how the force intends to fix the "foundations" identified as broken by Casey, focusing on community policing and culture.
Home Office: Review of Police Dismissals (2023) The government report that followed Casey, which led directly to the 2024 Regulations we discussed earlier (removing Legally Qualified Chairs).
Oversight and Progress Monitoring
The London Policing Board The website for the new board established by the Mayor of London in response to Recommendation 1. It contains meeting minutes and performance data.
HMICFRS: State of Policing Report 2024 The annual report from the Inspectorate, which assesses how forces across England and Wales are responding to the "Casey effect" and improving vetting.
Data and Transparency
The Police Barred List (College of Policing) The searchable database for officers who have been dismissed. Post-Casey, the number of entries here has increased significantly due to the "clear out" of unfit officers.
IOPC: Metropolitan Police Performance Data Use this link to find the most recent statistics on misconduct allegations and outcomes, filtered by race and gender to track "disproportionality."
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