The Met ‘requires improvement’ in five areas of its work, but was rated ‘inadequate’ in two: investigating crime and managing offenders and suspects. Worryingly, a key cause for concern here was that the force is not safely managing risks posed by registered sex offenders in the community. The Met was found to be inconsistent in this area, with knowledge gaps and a backlog of visits and risk assessments in some teams.

Speaking in a summary statement of the assessment’s findings, Lee Freeman, His Majesty’s inspector of constabulary, said that while “the size and scale of the transformation being carried out [by the Met] is significant”, he still had “serious concerns about how the force is currently investigating crime and managing offenders and suspects”.

In response to the PEEL report, a spokesperson for the Met said: “The Met is using every available resource to deliver more trust, less crime and high standards for London. HMIC’s report underlines why this continuing reform is needed. ONS data shows that confidence in the Met is above other big cities and overall crime in London is below them.

“It is positive to see the Inspectorate agree A New Met for London is the right plan to deliver improvements and that we are making progress.

“Since this inspection took place, we have already agreed a plan to move forward from the enhanced HMICFRS monitoring (known as ‘Engage’).

“We are now reflecting carefully on the findings, the core of which reflect our A New Met for London plans. We will continue to work closely with the Inspectorate, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, and other partners to improve delivery for Londoners.”

The Metropolitan police are failing in key areas, including managing sex offenders, according to a new report