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Sadiq Khan warns under-fire police chief Cressida Dick she has DAYS to fix the Met after WhatsApp scandal
SADIQ Khan today warned under-fire Met Police chief Cressida Dick she has just days to fix the force.
The London Mayor revealed he had put the commissioner "on notice" after shocking racist and sexist messages sent by her officers were exposed.
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A report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) revealed highly offensive language used on WhatsApp and Facebook by cops in a now-disbanded team based in Westminster, primarily at Charing Cross police station.
In them, officers joked about raping women, boasted about domestic violence and made light of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
Khan last week said he was "utterly disgusted" by the behaviour and insisted "anyone found to be responsible for sexism, racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, antisemitism, bullying or harassment does not deserve to wear the Met uniform and must be rooted out".
And today he said his continued trust and confidence in Dame Cressida hinges on how she addresses problems with the culture at the force and her plan to win back the trust of the public.
Khan said he sees the Commissioner "on a regular basis", adding: "The next time I see her I'll expect to see a response to the two big questions that I posed," which he said would be in a matter of "days or weeks".
Later, when asked on Sky News what would happen if she failed to deliver on his two challenges, he said: "It's very important for everyone to know that anyone who isn't up to the standards I expect I'll expect to go."
Khan also shared his horror that nine of the 14 police officers involved in the scandal were still serving, and two have even been promoted.
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"Too many police officers are behaving in a way that's unacceptable," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"Nine of those 14 police officers - you mentioned Charing Cross - are still serving.
"I only discovered last week that two of them have been promoted."
Asked if all of those involved should be sacked, Mr Khan said: "I think Londoners can't understand why nine of these 14 police officers are still serving.
"I've asked that question."
Khan is responsible for holding the Commissioner to account and is consulted by the Home Secretary over who is appointed to the role.
Embattled Dame Cressida has also come under fire from Priti Patel, who blamed "failures of leadership" for the WhatsApp scandal.
'UTTERLY DISGUSTING'
The government is conducting a review of culture and standards in the London police force in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, who was kidnapped, rape and killed by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens.
Repeated calls to address sexism and misogyny in the force have been made following her death, and after other officers were found to have taken photos with the corpses of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry.
The IOPC took the unusual step of publishing the WhatsApp and Facebook messages, which were uncovered as part of a probe into behaviour within the Charing Cross team between 2016 and 2018.
Some 14 officers were investigated as a result, with two found to have a case to answer for gross misconduct.
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One was sacked and another resigned before he would have been dismissed.
Nine remain serving officers, while another is working as a contractor in a staff role.
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