Confidence in the Metropolitan Police is at an all-time low, sparking concerns among City Hall officials and prompting further scrutiny of the force’s efforts to restore public trust. However, mayoral officials argue that the decline in confidence is not exclusive to London but reflects a broader national trend affecting policing across the country.
Sir Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for policing and crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, faced questioning on Wednesday over the persistently low levels of trust Londoners have in the Met. The discussion took place during a meeting of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, where members highlighted the force’s ongoing struggles in regaining public confidence.
Trust in the met at record lows
The criticisms come two years after the landmark report by Baroness Casey, which found that the Met was “institutionally” racist, sexist, and homophobic. Her 363-page review called for urgent reforms, stating that the Met should be guided by the Peelian principles of policing by consent—ensuring public trust and cooperation remain central to its operations.
However, recent surveys conducted by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) suggest that public trust and confidence in the Met remain far lower than when Sir Sadiq took office in 2016.
Confidence in the force is currently at its lowest recorded level, with only 46 per cent of Londoners believing that the police “do a good job in their local area” as of December 2024. This marks a significant drop from the peak confidence level of 69 per cent in 2016-17.
Susan Hall, chair of the Police and Crime Committee and a Conservative member of the London Assembly, addressed the decline directly:
“I think we all need to agree it needs to be a lot better than it is now.”
Ms Comer-Schwartz acknowledged the issue, stating:
“I think we completely agree with that, and that’s why it’s one of the key priorities in the [mayor’s] new Police and Crime Plan.”
National decline in policing confidence
Despite the sharp decline in confidence in London’s police force, MOPAC’s director of strategy, Kenny Bowie, highlighted that the issue is not unique to the capital.
“If you look at the Metropolitan Police compared with its comparator forces, it’s actually above the national average overall for confidence, and it’s above other forces like Greater Manchester Police. That’s not to say that more doesn’t need to be done – it does.”
Mr Bowie referred to findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which indicated that as of September 2024, 56.5 per cent of Londoners believed the police “can be relied on when needed”. This figure is higher than the national average of 51.2 per cent and compares favourably with Greater Manchester’s 50.5 per cent and the West Midlands’ 46.8 per cent.
However, confidence levels across the country have declined in recent years. In December 2019, the national average for trust in policing stood at 58 per cent, with London recording 66 per cent, Greater Manchester 52 per cent, and the West Midlands 53 per cent.
Signs of improvement in public trust?
Ms Comer-Schwartz also pointed to a recent increase in the percentage of Londoners who say the Met is “an organisation they can trust”. This figure, measured separately from overall confidence in policing, has risen from 69 per cent in December 2023 to 73 per cent in December 2024.
However, it remains far below the record high of 88 per cent recorded in 2016-17, shortly after Sir Sadiq Khan’s first year in office.
Concerns over met police funding
The meeting also raised concerns over funding for the Met’s reform initiatives. Ms Hall challenged Ms Comer-Schwartz on the mayor’s budget, which allocates £32 million less than anticipated for the ‘New Met for London’ plan—an initiative designed to drive transformation within the force following Baroness Casey’s review.
Ms Comer-Schwartz defended the funding shortfall, attributing it to years of financial strain:
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“The Met has been underfunded by over a billion pounds over a decade under the last Government, and the low-hanging fruit, for lack of a better term, has already been taken.”
Ms Hall pushed back, reminding the committee that Sir Sadiq Khan has repeatedly stated that keeping Londoners safe is his “top priority”. She questioned whether he would “put his money where his mouth is” and ensure the Met has adequate resources for reform.
Ms Comer-Schwartz responded that the mayor had already allocated an additional £10 million to the Met and continues to lobby the new Government for an increase in funding from the Home Office.
A long road to restoring confidence
While some statistics indicate a slow recovery in public trust, the overall picture remains troubling for London’s police force. The Met continues to grapple with the consequences of past failures, and calls for greater accountability and reform persist.
The debate at City Hall underscores the significant challenge ahead—not just for the Metropolitan Police, but for policing across the UK—as public confidence in law enforcement continues to wane.
