A recent report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has highlighted that the City of London Police needs to improve its efforts in tackling serious and organized crime. The report revealed that the police force is not reporting enough disruptions related to fraud and lacks a comprehensive understanding of drug markets, modern slavery, and human trafficking.
City of London Police Commander Umer Khan acknowledged the findings, stating that they accept the challenge to do more in combating serious and organized crime. The report evaluated three police forces operating in London, assessing the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police as “adequate” in addressing such crimes.
HMICFRS noted that the City of London Police’s frontline teams are not consistently tasked with gathering information on drug markets, modern slavery, and human trafficking, leading to a lack of analytical profiles due to insufficient staff. Additionally, the force, which has national responsibility for fraud, was found to record insufficient disruption activity in this area, with only 52 out of 506 recorded disruptions related to fraud in the year ending June 30, 2022.
Commander Khan emphasized the recognition of the City of London Police’s commendable work in complex investigations but acknowledged the need for improvement in disrupting serious and organized crime. He expressed the force’s commitment to enhancing intelligence sharing among policing partners.
The Metropolitan Police was advised to enhance its recording, assessment, and management of threats stemming from organized crime, while the British Transport Police was encouraged to improve the management of intelligence obtained from sensitive sources to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
The respective forces responded to the report, with the Metropolitan Police stating their recognition that there is always more that can be done and emphasizing their commitment to continuous improvement. The British Transport Police expressed pride in their efforts to disrupt organized criminal activity and ensure public safety.
