Information from the Metropolitan Police has revealed that serving Met officer David Carrick would not have passed the vetting process.
Carrick was in the force from 2001 to 2020 and was part of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command for over ten years.
But now, information shared by the Met Police has revealed that if Carrick were to take part in the vetting process now he would have failed.
As the report shares "we know the vetting requirements (the types of checks undertaken) were not as robust for either of these clearances as they are now."
Any officer that joins the police force must take part in a vetting process to ensure that there is no concerning information or interfering background information.
Carrick took two vetting processes when he first joined in 2001 and later in 2017 of which both were successful.
We condemn the appalling criminal actions of serving police officer David Carrick.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) January 16, 2023
Carrick has pleaded guilty to multiple rapes and serious sexual offences - he preyed on women over a period of many years, abusing his position as a police officer.
📰 | https://t.co/zTmLvPIOJL pic.twitter.com/P4saK9rFXK
The Met also shared that the armed officer should have been re-vetted after ten years of service however delays saw the vetting pushed back by five years.
The force did later add that they were aware the area needs improvement saying: "Delays in re-vetting of officers have previously been identified as an area that the Met needs to improve and significant improvements have already been made."
In the years since Carrick's vetting, the Met's approach has changed significantly and is now "far more robust".
Saying: "We are confident that someone applying to join the Met today with the same pre-employment history would not receive vetting clearance."
Later sharing that: "It is now the case that if an officer or staff member is arrested or is being investigated for a serious offence, consideration is given to a full review of that individual’s circumstances including the possibility that re-vetting would be required."
The information came as part of the Met statements which shared that they "should have spotted his pattern of abusive behaviour and because we didn’t, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organisation."
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