Evening Standard Comment: 50 additional disciplinary investigators is a vital step by the Met

The Metropolitan Police has appointed an additional 50 investigators to its disciplinary unit, as part of Scotland Yard’s efforts to root out rogue officers and deliver a much-needed boost to public confidence in the force.

Their job will be to review some of the 300 ongoing investigations into claims of domestic violence and sexual misconduct by serving Met officers, ensure these are carried out thoroughly and that appropriate punishment — including dismissal — can be handed out.

We welcome this investment in human effort and the aim to make sure the Met is a force fit for the 21st century. The kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by the then-serving Pc Wayne Couzens, alongside concerns about inadequate vetting and inappropriate behaviour, gave rise to fears that potentially dangerous officers were able to remain employed at the Met.

Commissioner Cressida Dick has a real task in repairing trust with the public. This is a vital first step and a signal that she’s creating a police force with zero tolerance for misbehaviour from within its own ranks.

Inquiries and reviews into the specifics of the Everard case as well as the culture of the Met have been announced and some are already underway.

Out of tragedies such as these, lessons must be learned and structural changes implemented. This is the right way to begin.

While parts of Europe are facing lockdown, the UK remains open. AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot attributes this in part to the greater T-cell protection generated by his company’s vaccine.

The AstraZeneca jab has been talked down around the world, spurned by numerous nations in favour of mRNA vaccines. Indeed it is still not even approved for use in the United States.

Yet it may prove to be key in keeping London and the rest of the country out of lockdown this Christmas.