he police watchdog has launched multiple conduct probes into eight Met police officers over their handling of complaints against serial rapist police officer David Carrick.
Ex-Met PC Carrick, formerly an elite firearms officer in the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, carried out a campaign of rape and abuse during his policing career.
The 46-year-old, whom colleagues had nicknamed ‘Bastard Dave’, was jailed earlier this year for subjecting at least a dozen victims to physical and emotional abuse over the course of 18 years, using his status as a police officer to coerce victims into silence.
On Thursday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was launching four separate investigations into the conduct of eight MPS officers and one staff member into the handling of complaints about Carrick.
It criticised the force for failing to identify any potential conduct matters against officers in the force after an internal review into reports which could have stopped Carrick sooner.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: “These were potentially missed opportunities to pursue gross misconduct investigations against Carrick, which may have led to his dismissal years before he was eventually arrested.
“We will now be investigating the conduct of the officers involved in these cases, and at the end of our investigations we will determine whether they should face disciplinary proceedings.”
The officers being investigated range in rank from police constable to chief inspector, said the IOPC. The Met said five of the officers were still serving, while two had retired and one was working in another force.
More follows.