The Fairfield Independent Review ran its engagement with the public — or ‘call for evidence’ between March and July 2026.
Following the publication of Baroness Louise Casey’s independent review of the Metropolitan Police Service’s culture and standards of behaviour, it is clear that levels of trust and confidence among Londoners are central to understanding the impact of changes that the Met has made since the Casey Review. That’s why we were so keen and grateful to hear directly from Londoners about their views and experiences of the Met.
Dr Fairfield is supported by a Lead Reviewer and a Review team who are independent of both the Metropolitan Police Service and of the Mayor’s Office for Policing (MOPAC). The team brings a breadth of experience covering the range of issues identified by the Casey Review.
The Casey Review found “widespread bullying, discrimination, institutional homophobia, misogyny and racism, and other unacceptable behaviours which are a far cry from the high ethical standards the public rightly expects of its police officers” [page 20, Baroness Casey’s final report, published March 2023]. The Fairfield Review will make a considered assessment which identifies positive progress, as well as identifying areas which require additional focus or acceleration, and making recommendations for action. The engagement from the public will directly feed into this assessment.
The Review’s call for evidence has now concluded. It had two main parts:
We wanted to hear from as many people as possible who had experienced crime and policing in London. This might have meant they have been directly affected, for example, as a victim of crime, as a witness, or as someone who had been stopped and searched. You could also have been indirectly affected, for example, as a family member of a victim of a crime or through your local community.
We were particularly keen to hear from people who had experience relating to issues highlighted in the Casey Review of the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service in 2023.
There were three ways we invited people to share their views with the Review. Everyone could contribute through the survey and/or by making a written submission. Due to the time needed for in-depth group conversations, we were only able to invite a limited number of people to take part in Citizens’ Engagement Forums, but Dr Fairfield and the Review team are reading and considering every survey response and written submission we received.
Open to: All London residents aged 18+
What it involved: Answering questions online about your experiences and views
When: The survey opened on 5 March and closed on 1st July 2026
Open to: All London residents aged 18+ and those working in relevant voluntary and community sector or support organisations
What it involved: Sharing your views and experiences in your own words using an online form (up to 4,000 characters)
When: We accepted written submissions made during the engagement period (5 March to 30 July 2026)
Open to: People who registered their interest and/or were invited by the Review team.
We organised a number of Citizens’ Engagement Forums across London to get as much coverage as possible across the areas the Metropolitan Police Service serves. These forums have brought together Londoners to discuss and develop recommendations for how the Met can improve its service.
What they have involved: Taking part in a group discussion facilitated by members of the Review team.
When: From May 2026
It’s critically important to everyone who has spoken to us felt confident to talk to us and share information. A central principle of this Review is to do no harm. This means:
Your information will remain confidential except in rare circumstances where we’re legally required to share information (for example, if there’s a safeguarding concern involving a child or vulnerable adult, or suspected terrorism, money laundering, or child abuse).
Citizens’ Engagement Forum discussions and any confidential one-on-one discussions with members of the Review team will be anonymised when we report what we’ve heard — we won’t identify anyone or include details that could identify anyone.
The survey and written submissions are anonymous — we don’t collect any information that identifies individuals.
You can read our full ethical and safeguarding framework for more details about how we protect participants. If you would like more information on how we protect your data, please read our full privacy notices for the survey, Citizens’ Engagement Forum, and written submissions.