Summary
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) are jointly commissioning an independent progress review (‘The Review’) in relation to the recommendations made by Baroness Casey in her review of the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the MPS (‘the Casey Review’). This follow-on review itself relates to recommendation 15 from that review.
The Review is an opportunity to provide an independent stocktake on the MPS’s progress across the entire range of Baroness Casey’s findings and recommendations, as well as the reforms to fix the MPS’s foundations, focus on community crime fighting and make it an anti-discriminatory organisation. The Casey Review made several recommendations on specific standards and culture matters, alongside wider recommendations on the prioritisation and reform of Neighbourhood Policing, the MPS response to Violence Against Women and Girls, Stop and Search, Frontline Policing, workforce planning, and oversight and accountability.
The Review will provide an update on the progress the MPS has made in taking a ‘whole system’ approach, in line with the plan set out in New Met for London, to implementing the relevant recommendations in the Casey Review. It will also consider the extent to which MOPAC has implemented the recommendations made in respect of it.
The Review also sits alongside His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) continual inspection of the MPS (the MPS is the most inspected force in the country). In January 2025 HMICFRS formally recognised the progress the MPS had made against their causes for concern, which align with many of Baroness Casey’s Recommendations, and moved the MPS out of ‘engage/special measures’.
Independent Progress Review Objective
The Review will provide an independent stocktake on the progress made in responding to the recommendations in Baroness Casey’s report. It will also assess the extent to which the MPS’s internal reforms to fix their foundations, and any changes made to how MOPAC operates, mean that improvements are likely to be sustained over the longer term.
The 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 in such areas. As part of this, it will consider any recent incidents and reviews that speak to public trust and confidence that have emerged since the Casey review was published.
Scope of Review
- Examine the progress made to respond to the Casey Review with a focus on the report’s recommendations.
- Provide an assessment of the progress of the MPS’s wider reform with a focus on NMFL ‘fixing their foundations’.
- Identify the areas of progress with the recommendations and those where acceleration is required.
- Assess the progress with, and extent to which the MPS’s internal reforms have fixed and are fixing the foundations, identifying areas where any serious concerns remain and making recommendations for action.
- Listen to and engage with current MPS officers and staff, statutory partners, community representatives and the public to understand their experiences of, and confidence in, the MPS reforms.
- Consider what work should be prioritised given the wider context in which the MPS is operating and any barriers or opportunities which arise as consequence.
Approach and Timescale
The MPS and the Mayor will jointly appoint an ‘Independent Chair of the Review’ – Dr Gillian Fairfield – to lead the progress review and provide a stocktake. The Review will start in early 2026 and work to the timings set out in their proposed project plan. The Independent Chair and her review team will be supported by a secretariat, mainly drawn from HMICFRS, but also drawing in other, external experts as and when required. This will ensure that the Independent Chair has access to the fieldwork, material and analysis already undertaken, and planned by HMICFRS ensuring that this Review and the further data required builds on and complements the ongoing inspection regime and provides value for money.
The progress review will begin with strategic briefings from January, with activity within the MPS and MOPAC taking place from early February 2026. The intent is not to undertake a fresh review on the scale of the original review by Dame Louise Casey, but to provide an assessment on the progress being made to implement her recommendations and the MPS’s continued reform ambitions.
The MPS and MOPAC will proactively provide documents and data they consider to be relevant at the outset; the Independent Chair will be able to request and be provided with access to other documentation and data as she requires to inform the review. The principles underpinning information sharing will be established through a formal memorandum of understanding between the Independent Chair, HMICFRS, the MPS and MOPAC.
The review will follow a three-pillar approach:
- Pillar 1: Insights
- Pillar 2: Fieldwork
- Pillar 3: Analysis and Reporting
While the conclusions in the report will be those of the Independent Chair, the MPS and MOPAC will have an opportunity to fact check the draft report and propose factual amendments to the Chair of the Review prior to submission. The MPS and MOPAC commit to this taking no longer than three weeks. The aim is for the final report to be published in Summer 2026.