A PLEDGE to check all current police officers against the national vetting database has been welcomed by West Mercia’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
The renewed effort comes after Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick, 48, admitted dozens of rape and sexual offences against 12 women across two decades.
Carrick served as an armed officer in London with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command and was suspended from duty when he was arrested in October 2021.
His crimes, which included 24 counts of rape, spanned 2003 to 2020 and most took place in Hertfordshire, where he lived.
Carrick’s ‘monstrous campaign of abuse’, comes just over a year after another serving officer Wayne Couzens was found guilty of the murder of Sarah Everard.
Speaking after he was dismissed from the force, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “It is vital the Metropolitan Police and other forces double down on their efforts to root out corrupt officers; this may mean more shocking cases come to light in the short-term.
PCC John Campion backed the commitment and said residents expected the highest standards from those employed by West Mercia Police.
“In any society corrupt individuals exist and we mustn’t be complacent about this. The Chief Constable, our communities and I, all have the same high expectations of how those in policing must behave,” he said.
“Locally I am reassured West Mercia already has high standards of vetting, robust processes and a low risk appetite and I remain committed to playing my part through my budget investments in additional resources into force vetting and professional standards, as well in technological reform to improve the process.”
A HMICFRS report published in November showed West Mercia Police is already fully complaint, with all employees of the workforce and contractors holding the correct level of vetting.
Carrick pleaded guilty to six offences at Southwark Crown Court last month, and had already admitted 43 others in December.
He is due to be sentenced in February.
