There has been a sharp fall in use by Metropolitan Police staff in their own confidential telephone and online service for raising concerns about the conduct of colleagues. Reports to the Rightline system numbered 383 during the financial year 2017/18, 382 in 2018/19 and 360 in 2019/20 but dropped sharply to 296 in 2020/21.

Unmesh Desai, a Labour member of the Assembly’s police and crime committee and its former chair who obtained the figures, said: “The fall in use of the whistleblowing hotlines by Met Police staff is concerning and I am keen to get to the bottom of the factors behind this. The figures raise more questions than answers and I will be fully following up this up with the Met.”

The downward trend in reports to Rightline contrasts to some degree with Met staff use of the equivalent Police Integrity service provided by the independent charity Crimestoppers which Desai learned in December have remained generally steady over the same four-year period and rose to their highest level of 224 in 2020/21.

Sadiq Khan has told Desai in written replies that the Met is unable to confirm how many of the reports to either Rightline or Police Integrity led to misconduct investigations. He said: “Each contact is reviewed and developed as appropriate” and that “the information often adds to an overall picture of intelligence rather than a single contact leading to a misconduct finding”.

At last week’s Mayor’s Question Time the Mayor told Desai that the fall in Rightline use...

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